Phoebe Philo Teacher & Master

BY: Andy Shoulders

British fashion designer Phoebe Philo has achieved massive success over the years, and her influence can be felt throughout the fashion industry today. From her years as Creative Director at Chloé in the early/mid-’00s to her decade at Celine from 2008 to 2018, Philo’s reach has extended far beyond just the two fashion houses mentioned above. Many of the people she mentored have grown to be some of the biggest names in fashion. Let’s take a look at ten such people who worked under Philo, thus gaining significant knowledge and insight for their stellar careers.

DANIEL LEE – CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR BOTTEGA VENETA

Perhaps Philo’s most celebrated protégé, at least among “Philophiles” as they’re called, is Daniel Lee, the current Creative Director for Bottega Veneta. Lee worked under Philo during her Celine years as the label’s ready-to-wear director and eventually left after it became clear that his Philo-centric vision would not work at a Hedi Slimane-led Celine. He took the reins at Bottega Veneta in June of 2018, and many view his vision for the house as the “Part 2” of sorts to Philo’s Celine. With solid lines plus a soft silhouette, rich colors, and textures, it’s easy to see Philo’s influence in Lee’s beautiful designs.

ROK HWANG – OWNER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR ROKH

One of Philo’s first “disciples” to strike out on his own, Rok Hwang spent three years designing ready-to-wear under Philo at Celine after winning the L’Oréal Professionel Creative Award in 2010 for his Central Saint Martens M.A. graduate collection. After that, he freelanced for Chloé and Louis Vuitton before launching his label, Rokh, in 2016. His all-female team and Philo-esque aesthetic clearly show his allegiance to his mentor, with his designs bearing an Old-Celine-meets-Sacai look.

ILARIA ICARDI – OWNER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR ILARIA ICARDI

After creating Hugo Boss’ first-ever women’s ready-to-wear line and then spending ten years in Paris design directing for Tom Ford at YSL (yes, Ford worked there as well as Gucci), designer Ilaria Icardi moved to London. There she became instrumental in establishing a new chapter at Celine alongside Phoebe Philo. As design director there, she transformed the label across all categories and expanded their twice-yearly runway and pre-collection shows. She then hit her stride as design director for Victoria Beckham, whom she worked closely with until her recent departure just last month.

SARA JOWETT – DESIGN DIRECTOR FOR STELLA MCCARTNEY

Sara Jowett is known as one of Phoebe Philo’s five original core team members (along with Lee & Hwang and Peter Do and another designer we will discuss next). These five famously took the final bow after Chloé’s Fall 2005 runway collection, with Philo sitting in the front row (she had given birth to her daughter that year). She was head of knitwear & jersey at Chloé for nearly five years and famously helped steady the ship after Philo’s exit in 2006. She later again joined Philo at Celine in 2008 before leaving to design at Stella McCartney in 2011, where she’s been ever since. Interestingly enough, Philo herself worked under McCartney at Chloé before McCartney started her label. So, it isn’t surprising that several designers have worked under both women.

ADRIAN APPIOLAZA – DESIGN DIRECTOR FOR LOEWE

The fifth team member to take a bow with the group that helped design and finish Philo’s Fall 2005 collection for Chloé, Adrian Appiolaza, was a senior designer from 2002 to 2006. After leaving, Appiolaza worked for Prada and Louis Vuitton before returning to Chloé as ready-to-wear design director, where he remained until 2014. Since then, he’s been directing for ready-to-wear brand Loewe, where he’s made quite a name for himself (while, of course, staying true to the Philo aesthetic), and it’s just a matter of time before we see him launch an eponymous label.

VALESKA DUETSCH – CO-DIRECTOR OF BELIZE

As is the case with several designers mentioned here, Valeska Duetsch worked under Phoebe Philo before moving to Stella McCartney in the late-’00s. Although her path has been somewhat different than Philo’s other disciples (a major label does not currently employ her), Duetsch struck out on her own, well sort of, to launch Belize in 2017 with fellow Stella McCartney alum Fiona Bansal. Though not yet a household name, Belize has shown in Berlin and London and harkens back aesthetically to Chloé’s early-aughts days. And yes, we are celebrating Philo’s influence in this story, but this may not be a bad route to take for Duetsch. She’s managed to maneuver Belize into an in-the-know, niche brand, which could prove to be quite a success in a post-pandemic fashion culture that’s heavy on self-expression.

ANNABELLE VOLAIRE LEVASSOR – OWNER & CREATOR OF AVL

Much like Valeska Duetsch, Annabelle Volaire Levassor is another Philo protégé that took a somewhat different route than most of her peers. While working with Philo, she played a pivotal role as leather goods manager in elevating a few of Chloé’s handbags to “It” status, a next-to-impossible feat in the world of luxury fashion (if you remember the “Paddington,” you have Volaire Levassor to thank). After leaving Chloé for good in 2011 (she went once in 2005 and returned), she launched her leather goods consulting business, AVL, which has since lent its influence to several well-known brands, including Ports 1961, Haider Ackermann, and (guess what?) Chloé. How’s that for a full circle?

YUNI AHN – CREATIVE COLLABORATOR FOR SHANGHAI TANG

Also unique among the designers discussed here, Yuni Ahn got her start at Stella McCartney, rather than Chloé or Celine, in 2001. By 2003, she freelanced for several labels before eventually arriving at Celine as Philo’s design director. Fast forward to 2018 when Ahn became Creative Director of Maison Kitsuné, a well-known French fashion house. Ahn’s vision for Kitsuné was noticeably more mature than the house’s usual aesthetic, but Philo’s influence showed clearly in the billowy silhouettes and diverse textures. Ahn left Kitsuné early last year to become a co-collaborator for Chinese fashion house Shanghai Tang, giving the brand some much-welcome hype, as well as that solid Philo cred.

JOHNNY COCA – CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR MULBERRY

Johnny Coca already had a pretty stacked resume once he started working under Phoebe Philo – he had previously designed for Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton and had also done work for Bally. He also previously worked for Michael Kors during his tenure at Celine (people forget Kors essentially brought Celine back from the dead), and he even followed Kors out the door when he left. Coca eventually returned to Celine as Philo’s design director of leather goods, and for a good reason – he’s the one responsible for the iconic Trapeze bag. As the current Creative Director for Mulberry, his design aesthetic seems to be the furthest away from Philo’s influence, which makes sense given the myriad of other designers he’s worked under.

ABNIT NIJJAR – DESIGN DIRECTOR FOR JILL SANDER WOMENSWEAR

Abnit Nijjar first fell in with the Philo gang when she joined Stella McCartney as a ready-to-wear assistant. Then, in 2012, she began designing the runway ready-to-wear collections for Celine, where she worked until 2018 when she signed on with Jill Sander as design director for womenswear. Strangely, Nijjar isn’t usually one of the names that come up when discussing Philo and the Celine days, but, much like Adrian Appiolaza, hers is a name to watch in the coming years as fashion houses hire new Creative Directors.