Phoebe Philo Collection at OTTODISANPIETRO

Phoebe Philo was born in Paris in 1973, the daughter of a graphic artist and a surveyor, both British. At age two, her family relocated to London, where she began altering her clothes as a teenager. That early impulse led her to study at Central Saint Martins, a global epicentre of design. It was there that she met Stella McCartney, forging a creative bond that would mark the beginning of her professional career. In 1997, she joined McCartney as her assistant at Chloé, during a pivotal moment in fashion.

When McCartney left to launch her own label, Philo was appointed creative director of Chloé in 2001, at just 28 years old. What followed was a full reimagining of the brand’s bohemian spirit: flowing chiffon dresses, wide-leg trousers, chunky sandals, and the now-iconic Chloé Paddington bag defined the style of the early 2000s.

Beyond commercial success, Chloé’s global sales rose by 60%. Philo proposed a visual language that blended femininity, ease, and a thirst for freedom. She was a young designer speaking directly to a generation of women. What we now consider a trend might have first been born under Philo’s Celine.

Layered compositions, wearable yet complex volumes, masterful tailoring, clean silhouettes and the subtle convergence of fashion and contemporary art. Her designs became cult items among women around the world seeking to look modern and feel powerful amid the demands of work, motherhood, and personal ambition.

In 2006, she took a step back to focus on her family. But just two years later, LVMH came knocking, offering what would become her most defining challenge: reviving Celine. Philo agreed, on one condition that was unusual at the time: to run the studio from London to preserve her creative freedom and work-life balance. The rest is history.

Philo’s arrival at Celine in 2008 signalled the start of a new chapter for the storied French house, then languishing in traditional luxury. From her London-based studio, she rewrote the narrative of contemporary dressing with clarity, refinement, and understated power. In her own words, she sought “[...] clothes that are beautiful, strong and have ideas, but with real life driving them.” The result was a line of thought she coined as contemporary minimalism, now a foundational pillar of modern fashion.

Celine’s new wardrobe responded to women’s ambitions and daily realities. It wasn’t about disguise or transformation; it was about presence, comfort, freedom, and elegance. Structured coats with sharp silhouettes, pleated wide trousers, sculptural knits, and bold sandals, each garment conveyed vitality, introspection, and intellectual poise. Her vision embodied a femininity that existed for itself, like a bridge between the self and the world.

Her campaigns, many shot by Juergen Teller, embodied this philosophy. The raw beauty of Joan Didion as the face of Spring/Summer 2015. Unfiltered models. Everyday locations. Unretouched bodies moving naturally within the clothes. Through this world-building, Philo reframed the fashion-body relationship through thought, feeling, and presence. She wasn’t selling aspiration. She was proposing connection with oneself.

In an industry transformed by speed and spectacle, Philo’s Celine offered a cultural counterweight: space for contemplation and design with purpose. Under her leadership, the brand’s revenue rose from €200M to €700M (according to estimates). But more than numbers, her true achievement was giving women a new language to express their complexity, seriousness, desire, or their silence.

When Philo left Celine in 2018, the fashion world collectively mourned. For years, whispers of her return persisted. In 2021, the rumors were confirmed: Phoebe Philo would launch her own label, backed once again by LVMH. The promise of returning to her design universe, this time with full creative and strategic control, created anticipation like few launches before. This wasn’t just a brand, it was a cultural moment.

Her debut collection, titled A1, launched in October 2023 under a direct-to-consumer (DTC), online-only model with no physical retail presence, until now. The launch was split across three limited drops. The strategy was clear: a conscious, careful production model with small quantities and a price range that positioned the brand at the very top of contemporary luxury. Its exclusivity reflects a deeper set of values: time, quality, and permanence.

Aesthetically, the collection echoes her Celine legacy while pushing into new territory. Structured silhouettes, raw tailoring, layered constructions and flawless finishes are met with visceral gestures, torn textures, asymmetric cuts, and a grounded harshness that evokes raw natural forms. It is a more introspective, spontaneous proposition, yet still retains her signature cerebral elegance.

The response was immediate: critical acclaim and instant sell-outs. But what makes it most compelling is how Philo has returned entirely on her own terms, no nostalgia, no compromise. As she declared, “To be independent, to govern and experiment on my own terms is hugely significant to me.”

Now, for the first time, Phoebe Philo Collection is available beyond her online platform. You can discover a curated selection exclusively at OTTODISANPIETRO’s physical store in A Coruña.