CÉLINE Bags & Handbags

Celine’s (Formerly Céline) History

In 1945, Céline Vipiana and her husband Richard opened a shop in Paris specializing in made-to-measure children’s shoes. The shop, called Céline, quickly came to be known for the high quality and durability of its products. Within several years, the couple opened three more locations. Roughly a decade later, they added women’s shoes and, shortly after, shifted their company to women’s fashions. Vipiana’s designs maintained a sharp focus on practicality and functionality to overwhelming success. Eventually, the House started entering new market segments, releasing leather goods, including handbags.

Later, in the 1970s, the Maison adopted a new logo called the Blazon Chaîne. Vipiana created the emblem after inspiration struck when viewing the chain surrounding the Arc de Triomphe, one of Paris’ most important landmarks. The House would place the emblem on numerous bags, textile prints and more. By the 80s, Céline was an international brand. It caught Bernard Arnault's attention, the CEO of LVMH, a luxury conglomerate that owns many of the world’s best-known brands. Starting in 1987, he invested heavily in the company and, in 1996, bought it outright and incorporated Céline into the LVMH group.

Shortly after its incorporation, Michael Kors became its creative director and helped establish its haute couture credentials. His departure in 2004 ushered in several other directors before the company hired Phoebe Philo. Philo, much like Vipiana herself, excelled at conceptualizing modern, functional and contemporary fashion. Her aesthetic was simple, elegant minimalism without the branding and flash that most luxury designers project. The look was powerful and focused attention on the wearer rather than the label. Almost immediately, her designs gave the company a clearly defined creative voice that made the brand a household name in luxury fashion. Many fans regard her time as creative director as the brand’s golden era, often referred to as “old Céline.”

When Philo stepped down, Hedi Slimane replaced her as the creative head. One of his initial moves included rebranding the fashion house from Céline to Celine. With time, Slimane’s “new Celine” designs won over celebrities and fashion icons, paving the way for an edgier look.

Materials and Craftsmanship of Celine Handbags

Thanks to its Italian leather artisans, Celine produces most of its handbags in high-quality, supple Italian leather. They use many leather types, including lambskin and calfskin, and more exotic options like lizard, crocodile and python. Depending on the line, calfskin leathers may be smooth, grained or drummed.

It Bags: Celine’s Most Covetable Designs
In general, Celine’s most recognizable and desirable bags come from the Phoebe Philo era, followed in second place by a wave of “new Celine” bags from Hedi Slimane’s time as creative director.

Celine Luggage Tote

One of Philo’s first mega-hits, the Luggage tote became wildly popular almost overnight was no longer readily available in stores. The bag’s look has raised leather detailing on the front, a prominent external zipper pocket and folding “wings” that give the bag its vast capacity. It's available in five sizes (medium, shoulder, mini, micro, nano) and a suede “Phantom Tote” that retains much of the original’s aesthetic but with wider wings and less prominent detailing.

Celine Classic Bag

As its name suggests, the Celine Classic is a bag with clean lines, a rectangular shape and a large metal clasp to close the top flap. More than 10 years after its debut, the Classic remains popular and has remained in production every year since its release.

Celine Trapeze Bag
The Trapeze borrows from both the Luggage and the Classic for its overall look. It has the Luggage’s gusseted wings, but its front panel design is much simpler. It loses the zippered pocket and raised leather details in favor of a simple rectangular panel with a top flap that closes with a rectangular metal clasp like the Classic one. Color blocking in various bold shades makes the bag even more of a conversation starter.

Celine Trio Bag

The Trio is another clever Philo design, maximizing flexibility and practicality through a modular approach. The bag consists of three pouchettes that attach with snaps. The center pouch has an adjustable shoulder strap, allowing the Trio to easily transition from shoulder bag to crossbody. The two external pouches snap together to form a clutch. The design also allows collectors with multiple Trios to mix and match the pouches from their different bags to customize the look.

Celine Belt Bag

Released in 2015 as part of the Spring collection, the Belt bag built on the immense and continuing popularity of the Luggage and Trapeze bags with a similar winged silhouette. This time, the shape has a zippered closure at the top, and a top flap that closes under a leather belt giving the design more visual movement as the belt’s tails hang down dramatically. The belt doesn’t hold the top flap closed, though. There’s a clasp or magnetic closure for that, depending on the model, ensuring the flap doesn’t come loose.

Celine Triomphe Bag

The Triomphe debuted in 2018 by Hedi Slimane shortly after he took over creative direction. Its look draws inspiration from the brand’s past, both recent and historical. The bag’s overall look is like the Classic, with a simple, boxy shape and clean lines. The clasp, however, is not the minimalist rectangle found on the Classic but more elaborate logo hardware in the shape of the Blazon Chaîne emblem Vipiana created in the 70s.

Celine 16 Bag

The 16 was Slimane’s first bag for Celine; its rounded corners, turn-lock clasp and cropped top flap recall the aesthetic of the 1960s. Its formal design and more structured shape broke strongly with the design language fans had expected from Philo and signaled a new direction for the Maison. Since its release, Celine has incorporated many silhouettes into the 16 lines, all with the familiar turn-lock clasp.

Celine Handbag’s Value and Collectibility

Celine bags are advantageous for collectors. The House typically produces each model in dozens of combinations of size, color and material. Their high quality, hard-wearing leather coupled with the brand’s commitment to excellent construction makes for long-lived bags. Some designs, like the Classic, exist outside of trends while others, like the Luggage, were innovative designs and speak to a particular moment in fashion history.

Whether you’re a first-time Celine shopper or avid collector, you’re in luck as many of its notable handbags are available via retail. A brand-new Nano Luggage bag in smooth calfskin is $2,700, and the equally recognizable Small Classic iteration is $3,150. Because the House continually updates its collection, you’re sure to find the perfect Celine piece on the secondary marketplace. In early 2021, pre-loved Celine Mini Luggage totes fetched, on average, more than $1,500, while pre-owned Medium Classic shoulder bags can sell from about $1,200 to more than $2,800.