Founded in 1945 in Paris, France by Céline Vipiana and her husband Richard, Celine began as a made-to-measure children’s shoe shop. Specializing in custom shoes, they became so popular due to their unique styles, the duo then expanded their business and in 1948 they opened up three more stores.

In 1960, Celine branched out into women’s ready-to-wear, with the clothing line featuring sportswear, skirt suits, fitted shirts, pastel-hued denim, and other functional contemporary pieces. And in 1963, she launched her first women’s shoe line. The brand expanded into Italian-made leather accessories and goods including handbags, gloves, belts, and wallets in 1968.

After the brand went international in the ‘70s, Celine had a brand refresh and replaced the elephant logo with a newly designed one that featured an intertwined double C design known as the Blazon Chaine which was reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe.

LVMH acquired Celine in 1997, after Céline Vipiana’s death.

MICHAEL KORS

Michael Kors took over as Creative Director and lead designer for ready-to-wear collections in 1997, and wIth his leadership, Celine became a must-have designer.

When Kors left to focus on his own labels, the brand began to fail, and LVMH searched for the next big Creative Director. Roberto Menichetti of Burberry then took over and was followed by Ivana Omazic of Prada, Jil Sander and Miu Miu.

PHOEBE PHILO

Following her role at Chloe, Phoebe Philo took over as Creative Director for Celine in 2008 and she was credited with saving the brand. She launched feminist movements and single-handedly rebranded Celine. Phoebe’s is also known for launching some iconic trends and introducing the world to ‘it’ bags like the Luggage Tote, the Trapeze, and the Phantom Bag. She also made wearing white sneakers cool again.

HEDI SLIMANE

After successfully relaunching and rebranding Saint Laurent, Hedi Slimane took over the reins at Celine in 2018. Known for an edgy, punk, rock ‘n roll vibe, Hedi Slimane’s first collection at Celine was almost a copy of the looks he had sent down the runway at Saint Laurent, with miniskirts, chains and hardware and lots of leather looks, and also dropped the accent from Celine. Since then Hedi has presented sexy silhouettes, utilitarian outerwear, the brand’s first menswear collection, casual ready-to-wear separates, structured looks and sculptural evening wear.

CELINE’S ICONIC HANDBAGS

Celine’s handbags rocketed to icon status thanks to the popularity of the Luggage Tote. Since then, Celine’s been producing other timeless hits like the Phantom Bag, the Box Bag, and the Trapeze. Today, some of Celine’s pre-owned handbags are worth more than their original retail price on the resale market, making it an excellent investment.

THE LUGGAGE TOTE

Released in 2010 under Phoebe Philo, the now iconic Luggage Tote was designed as a functional everyday bag. It’s a boxy, structured design with a square bottom and winged sides for extra space. It features a front zipper, two top handles, a detachable shoulder strap, and plenty of interior space. It was produced in four different sizes, and many different colors and materials like calfskin, nubuck, crocodile, nubuck, and more.

THE TRAPEZE BAG

A stylish combination of the Box Bag and the Phantom Tote, Celine’s Trapeze Bag features wide gussets with snaps, a flap closure with a square clasp, a top handle, a detachable shoulder strap, a back pocket, a zip pocket, and interior open compartments. It was designed in many different colors and materials and is available in four different sizes.

THE PHANTOM TOTE

Celine’s Phantom Tote, which launched in 2011, is an updated take on the iconic Luggage Tote. A larger and roomier design, this bag features a braided zipper pull and extended wings on the side to reveal a trapezoidal shape. Just like the Luggage Tote, the Phantom also instantly became an ‘it’ bag and it was created in many different colors and materials.

THE BELT BAG

Launched in 2015, the Belt Bag was another one of Phoebe Philo’s ‘it’ bags. Instantly recognizable by its extra-long strap on the front, the Belt Bag features a top handle, front flap closure, an adjustable shoulder strap and a back zip pocket (on the larger sizes). This simplistic tote was launched in various sizes, colors and materials like pebbled leather and crocodile.

THE BOX BAG

While the original Box Bag was launched in the 70s, it’s been reimagined a few times over the years and it’s still a timeless classic. This very structured, rectangular bag features a unique push-lock closure, a detachable and adjustable shoulder strap, an interior zip pocket and two inner compartments. It was designed in various colors and materials like calfskin, python, lizard, and crocodile.

THE TRIOMPHE

The Triomphe Bag was initially conceptualized by Céline Vipiana back in the ’70s. Allegedly while she was driving around Paris, her car broke down right in front of the Arc de Triomphe. Looking towards the iconic monument, Céline got inspired by the chain surrounding it and thus created the brand’s signature double C logo. After Hedi Slimane joined Celine, she reimagined the emblem to be the Triomphe bag’s signature finishing touch.

DIFFUSION 1970S HORSE CARRIAGE BOX BAG

After the passing of her husband, Celine replaced the old elephant logo with the sulky logo, which refers to a horse-drawn vehicle used in harness racing. Due to his love of horseback riding, it was originally featured on Celine’s bags, shoes and belts and accessories in the late 60s through 80s and then brought back again by Hedi Slimane in 2020.

HOW TO AUTHENTICATE USING THE DATE CODE

When you’re authenticating a Celine bag, it’s important to pay attention to details such as the zipper, which doesn’t normally have a logo, but has a one-digit number on the front of the slider and an O- or D-shaped pull. The logo should always match the color of the hardware and the outside stamp should just say “CELINE PARIS” while the inside should say “Made in Italy”. And the stitches can also be a dead giveaway since they should be straight and consistent and not zigzag, but the other important thing to look out for is the date code.

Celine bags do not have serial numbers, and instead, they have date codes. If you peek inside a bag, you’ll find the date code, but the location varies by season, year, and bag style and can be printed on a leather tag or embossed on the lining itself. The date code can differ in the thickness of the embossing, the shape of the tag and the font.

The date code numbers can be repeated which means more than one bag can have the same code, but they normally follow the same format: one letter, two letters, and four numbers separated by a dash. These numbers will tell you the factory code and the week and year the bag was made with the first three letters indicating the location of the factory, and the first a third numbers indicating the week it was made and the second and fourth numbers are the year. However, some bags will follow a different format that’ll keep the week and year numbers together.

While the date code is helpful, it’s easy to replicate and doesn’t fully prove authenticity.