Michael Rider’s First Celine Collection Is a Masterclass in Playing It Safe

Michael Rider’s debut at Celine wasn’t meant to set the fashion world ablaze. And it didn’t. For those seeking spectacle or shock value, the Spring/Summer 2026 collection may have felt underwhelming. But for LVMH, and for anyone watching the business of fashion closely, this was a calculated and competent reset.

Held on July 6 at Celine’s headquarters on Rue Vivienne, the show marked the brand’s return to the runway after a five-year hiatus—and Rider’s first outing since succeeding Hedi Slimane. Compared to the fanfare surrounding Jonathan Anderson’s Dior debut a week earlier, Celine’s launch was quiet, almost self-effacing. That was the point.

Rider kept expectations low. A seasoned designer who had worked under Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga and spent a decade as head of ready-to-wear at Celine under Phoebe Philo, he knows the brand from the inside out. But he avoided nostalgia. Instead of resurrecting Philo’s cool minimalism or following Slimane’s youth-focused rock aesthetic, Rider delivered a product-driven, wearable wardrobe that balanced commercial viability with quiet design intelligence.<