Celine Les Grands Classiques Spring 2021 Ad Campaign

Review of Celine Les Grands Classiques Spring 2021 Ad Campaign by Creative Director/Photographer Hedi Slimane with model Tumi

Celine may have a new star on their hands: the house’s latest campaign, photographed as always by creative director Hedi Slimane, forms an exciting debut for young model Tumi, and could also signal a shift in direction for the designer.

Slimane captures Tumi in his signature portrait style, shooting in black and white and capturing her (though Tumi is unknown and we don’t want to assume any pronouns, the campaign’s tagline of “Un fille Celine” – a Celine girl – seems informative) against a plain studio backdrop.

But in many ways, the similarities to Slimane’s past work stop here.

While most of Celine’s women’s campaigns tend to play up an aspect of brooding, vulnerable femininity, Tumi exudes a unique poise and strength.

Featuring sharp blazers, slacks, and leather jackets, the styling has a masculine edge, making the overall expression of identity feel fluid and androgynous. While many Celine campaigns have an element of male gaze à la nudity or sexualization, Tumi’s beauty and sensuality are all her own. Last but not least, she is a dark-skinned black woman – another rarity in Slimane’s oeuvre.

Putting these elements together, we can see that Slimane may be seeking to expand and democratize the brand’s image a bit. Especially considering that Tumi is the new “fille Celine,” Slimane may be shifting to put more of a focus on possibility and individual expression, rather than his own vision of what Parisian chic means. We welcome this move to expand his creative horizons.

But the biggest takeaway of the campaign is that an exciting young talent has stepped on to the scene. Based on the brief campaign we have seen, we are already loving Tumi’s energy and look, and we can’t wait to see where she turns up next.