Michael Kors worked as design director for the French fashion house Celine.
Kors joined Celine in 1997, when the Paris-based brand was owned by LVMH. He became the house’s first women’s ready-to-wear designer and later served as its creative director, bringing an American sportswear sensibility to the French luxury label.
His Celine work helped raise his international profile. He designed polished, practical clothing with an emphasis on modern glamour, and the brand gained visibility through celebrity wear and fashion-media attention during his tenure. Kors left Celine in 2003 to focus more fully on his own label.
Celine is often confused with Chanel or Dior because all three are major French fashion houses. They are separate brands with different histories and creative leadership. Kors’s role at Celine also predates Phoebe Philo’s later, highly influential period at the house.