Phoebe Philo is launching her own fashion brand

Phoebe Philo Studio is expected to launch in January 2022

Phoebe Philo at the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York (Getty Images)

Phoebe Philo has announced she is launching her own fashion brand.

The famously low-profile designer will be the majority owner of her own clothing and accessories label “rooted in exceptional quality and design”, while her former employer LVMH will have a minority stake.

In a brief statement shared with The Business of Fashion, the former Chloé designer said: “Being in my studio and making once again has been both exciting and incredibly fulfilling.

“I am very much looking forward to being back in touch with my audience and people everywhere.

“To be independent, to govern and experiment on my own terms is hugely significant to me.”

The news comes after ongoing speculation about the venerated designer’s next move after she left her role as artistic director of French fashion house Celine in 2017.

Her successful reinvention of the Parisian label established in 1945 was a global hit, with sophisticated, minimalist pieces proving popular with celebrities such as Kanye West.

Philo did not confirm a release date for the Phoebe Philo Studio collection, teasing that more details would follow in January 2022.

It is thought the brand will be based in London, where the 48-year-old Brit lives with her family.

She added that her working relationship with LVMH had been “constructive and creative”, stating that their collaboration on her new project would be “natural progression”.

Elsewhere, LVMH chairman and chief executive Bernard Arnault described Philo as “one of the most talented designers of our time”.

He added: “I am very happy to partner with Phoebe on her entrepreneurial adventure and wish her great success.”

As well as casting older models in her shows – including recruiting the-then 80-year-old author Joan Didion to star in a Celine advertising campaign – Philo has long been hailed as a pioneering designer for women keen to escape the patriarchal clutches of fashion.

Philo was also the first high-profile female designer at a major fashion brand to take maternity leave, evidencing the importance of a work/life balance.

Speaking to the Telegraph in 2012, she stated that she was “disciplined” about keeping strict working hours.

“We’re just organised,” she said.

“Everybody in this building knows when I arrive and when I leave and the important things are done within those hours. That’s just the way it is.”