Céline show coming to China

The arrival six years ago of creative director Phoebe Philo has rocketed the brand skywards, with a tripling of global sales, and the eyes of the world falling on the Paris runway every fashion week to see what the British designer (one of Time Magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ for 2014) has dreamed up. 

Now Céline is set to reward the label’s Asian fans with a show on Thursday evening hosted in the Chinese capital. The first ever Céline runway show in China, it’s a rare showing outside of France for the brand. 

“It’s a way to respond to a customer that’s been evolving and growing,” CEO Marco Gobbetti explained to WWD. “A few years back they were just approaching the market, and now they are the real experts.”

The brand has 20 stores in the country, but the future focus will be on sharpening up the existing locations rather than expanding any further. The move comes hot on the heels of this month’s international Resort 2015 shows from Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Chanel and off-schedule repeats by Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors in Asia.