Michael Rider’s FW26 Menswear Collection Champions Character Over Costume

Summary

• Michael Rider debuted his inaugural collection for CELINE through an intimate, multi-room walkthrough presentation in Paris, replacing the traditional runway with a tactile experience that allowed guests to engage directly with the craftsmanship and textiles

• The collection centers on the philosophy of character over costume, offering a definitive frame of menswear-inspired classics designed to function as a versatile, long-lasting wardrobe for the realities of modern life

• Prioritizing discretion and restraint, the aesthetic focuses on necessary pieces that invite the wearer to appropriate high-quality staples into their own personal rhythms, creating a sophisticated attitude that values the individual over the image

Michael Rider inaugurated his tenure at Celine by stripping away the artifice of the traditional runway, opting instead for an intimate, multi-room walkthrough presentation during Paris Fashion Week for his debut solo menswear offering. By laying out the collection across a curated residential-style space, Rider invited guests to engage in a sensory dialogue with the garments—touching the fabrics and inspecting the construction up close. This format underscored his core philosophy for the season — a move away from the performative “costume” of the catwalk toward a wardrobe defined by character and the “here and now.”

The collection acts as a definitive “frame of menswear,” rooted in the historical pillars of Celine but recalibrated for the rhythm of modern life. Rider’s vision is one of discretion and restraint, where “classics with bite” do the talking. The offering is exhaustive, designed to be “everything you could need” for any scenario, from high-stakes professional moments to the quiet intimacy of personal time. It positions Celine not as a trend-chaser, but as a destination to get dressed—a place to acquire necessary pieces in exceptional fabrics that are built to endure.

Ultimately, the FW26 presentation was an invitation for the wearer to appropriate these high-quality staples into their own personal style. By focusing on how clothes feel against the body and how they function in a daily wardrobe, Rider has established a new Celine attitude that favors the individual over the image. Meant to be worn on a day-to-day basis, this collection champions a subtle, sophisticated confidence found in the perfect cut of a coat or the weighted drape of a trouser, proving that the most impactful fashion is often that which feels the most personal.

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