Celine has unveiled its revamped flagship store in Miami, one of its two latest U.S. projects to open in December.
Located at its current 41st Street address in the city’s Design District, the 4,000-square-foot unit has been completely overhauled in line with Hedi Slimane’s architectural concept first unveiled in 2019 with the brand’s Madison Avenue flagship in New York.
The creative director’s brutalist vision is expressed in the juxtaposition of natural stone such as gray travertine and antique marbles, contrasted with warmer materials such as oak, brass and antique mirrors.
The revamped address will host one-on-one appointments with clients for its couture in January, and will carry a clutch of exclusives, including the Teen Triomphe in a chalk lizard, a studded Claude chain shoulder bag and its Verneuil ankle boots dressed in sequins.
Miami marks the third major renovation this year in the U.S., where the brand has also opened five stores this year, bringing its freestanding retail contingent to 30 doors in the country and 34 in North America.
Celine said it is “doing incredibly well with a high double-digit positive [rise]” in the U.S., adding that its Triomphe bag is an “absolute success” in the market and its ready-to-wear offering is seeing “strong and continuous growth” as clients respond positively to its craftsmanship.
The house recently launched its made-to-order haute maroquinerie collection in the U.S. and said it had delivered the first order for a Triomphe.
The Miami store is arranged on two stories. Women’s leather goods, fine jewelry, haute perfumery and a home goods area featuring a marble “perfume organ” are located on the ground floor. A staircase featuring faceted mirrors and accent lighting leads to men’s and women’s ready-to-wear on the second floor.
Throughout, lounge areas mix vintage furniture and pieces designed by Slimane, with the intention of creating a sculptural vibe, while ornate coffered ceilings accentuate some areas.
Continuing the French house’s Celine Art Project, the store is also home to nine works of art, including a 2013 painting by Paris-based artist Simone Fattal; a ceramic sculpture by American artist Antonia Kuo, and a piece by Brazil-born sculptor Marcelo Silveira.
Taking pride of place in Miami is a new “Snake” commissioned work by New York-based Canadian artist Elaine Cameron-Weir. Another work commissioned by Slimane in the same series is at the brand’s Omotesando flagship in Tokyo and a further two works are in its Shenzhen and Barcelona stores.
For its first outpost in Chicago, Celine chose the affluent Gold Coast area. with a two-floor boutique carrying its women’s and men’s lines as well as leather goods, accessories and haute perfumery collections. Its neighbors on N Rush Street are Chanel, Hermès and Dior.
Here, too, natural stone and warmer touches play into the refined 21st century brutalist intention of Slimane, and artwork has a starring role. Among the highlights is a concrete and stainless-steel sculpture by Mexican-born artist Alejandro Almanza Pereda.
Elsewhere, the house is expanding its retail footprint at a steady clip. It opened in Singapore’s Siam Paragon luxury shopping complex this week; reopened its Omotesando flagship in August – with a visit from BTS’ Kim Taehyung, aka V; added a store in Beijing, and made its first mark in Guangzhou in Taikoo Li.
Haute perfumery corners were also unveiled in Le Bon Marché and Harrods.
