Chloé, 1997–2006 Philo began working for Chloé in 1997 as Stella McCartney's design assistant, succeeding her as
creative director in 2001. At Chloé, she was credited with contrasting
babydoll dresses with heavy leather accessories, such as the Paddington bag. During that time, she also became the first designer at a major fashion brand to take an official extended
maternity leave. In 2002, Philo commissioned
Sophie Hicks to create a concept for the Chloé stores. During her time at Chloé, Philo brought "easy-to-wear, feelgood designs, which mix boyish and girlish, retro and contemporary in a deft way". In 2006 Philo left Chloé. She subsequently moved back to London to be with her family and had her second child. She presented her debut collection the next year. In 2010, the inaugural issue of
The Gentlewoman featured Philo on the cover. Philo’s tenure at Céline was marked by a succession of phenomenally successful bags, among them the Trapeze and Luggage totes, and the slim Trio cross-body. Philo’s first ad campaign for Céline notably did not include the heads of the models, ensuring the focus would be on the clothes and bags. For her 2015 ad campaign,
Juergen Teller photographed writer
Joan Didion. For Céline’s Spring/Summer 2017 collection, Philo worked with artist
Dan Graham to create
Showing off the body (2016), a glass S-shaped pavilion at the
Tennis Club de Paris in which the runway show took place during
Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Philo revived Celine by seeking to redefine what women want to wear, with minimalist aesthetics, clean lines and tonal color palettes. According to
New York Times fashion critic
Vanessa Friedman, Philo “made Céline matter in a way it never had before”.
Phoebe Philo, 2021–present In 2021, Philo announced she would launch a brand under her own name. She and her husband are the majority owners of the business, with
LVMH being a minority shareholder. In October 2023, the brand launched a debut collection exclusively available on phoebephilo.com that was described as reflecting the
quiet luxury trend. The brand's headquarters are located in
Ladbroke Grove. before expanding
10 Corso Como in Milan,
Dover Street Market in London and Paris, Maxfield and
Neiman Marcus in Los Angeles, and
The Webster in Miami later that year. ==Recognition==