Last January, after it was announced that beloved British designer Phoebe Philo would exit her fixed position at the French label's helm, the industry speculated who would take over. At the time, there were a few designers without work, but none of them were rumoured to be up for the job. Instead, the names of lesser-known, already-employed creatives were on the table: Natasa Cagalj (then of Stella McCartney , now of Port 1961), Celine's own ready-to-wear design director Michael Rider, Ilaria Icardi of Victoria Beckham, and more. But in the end, the very well-known Hedi Slimane, the previous Dior Homme and Yves Saint Laurent creative director, took the top spot.