The Sumptuous Cinematic Opus Extends an Exploration of Historic English Dressing into a Sensory Feast
Hedi Slimane presents his Summer 2025 menswear collection for Celine via a sweeping and cinematic short film that channels anglomania in vivid, polished style.
Titled “The Bright Young,” the new film follows in the footsteps of his Winter 2024 outing, which reimagined the runway show format as a feast of cinematic symbolism. This time around, Slimane’s point of inspiration is anglomania, the French obsession with English style and culture that first appeared at Versailles in the late 18th century, and has since undergone various revivals and rebirths. The designer actually began writing an essay on the cultural phenomenon during his time at the Ecole du Louvre in the late 80s, and now revisits the project with an artful sartorial expression of his own.
Shot in both vibrant color and rich black and white, the film follows its cast of young dandies through the halls and gardens of a sprawling estate that feels reminiscent of Saltburn – or, more accurately, the Evelyn Waugh novels that inspired it. Their summer suits made from reclaimed 1920s cashmere and wool specifically rewoven for Celine, straw boater hats, Richelieu shoes, and little shorts fit right into the splendorous surroundings. The mood is languorous and decadent, as if they are both ready and hesitant to return to Eton or Oxford after a torrid summer holiday.
One of Hedi Slimane’s most exciting aspects as a creative director is how he weaves personally mythologies drawn from the cultural moments that inspire him into his cohesive and consistent vision for Celine. With these ambitious yet intimate films, this practice is finding one of its fullest expressions yet. This campaign transports us with its delicate mood and sensitive historical homage, convincing us that a runway show could indeed not contain this collection, that it needed an entire cinematic world of its own.
