Q: Who are the Philophiles?

A: A style tribe devoted to Céline, via its Creative Director Phoebe Philo. A Philophile's existence is being dedicated to the cause—that of living the purism of the house, not only through clothes, but in interiors and comportment.

Every now and then, an entire state of being can be conjured through one designer’s vision. Such is the case with Phoebe Philo’s Céline. When she presented her first collection as Creative Director of the French house in 2009, her clean, minimal aesthetic introduced a uniquely practical way of dressing. These were clothes designed for women like Philo—smart, savvy women who balance career, family, and a social life, all while looking impeccably low-key. 

In this age of naked ambition, it’s no wonder the Philophile has emerged. “You shouldn’t underestimate the Phoebe Philo effect,” says Dr. Valerie Steele, a fashion historian and the curator of the Museum at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. “When Phoebe and Céline started to become stronger and stronger, you suddenly began seeing clothes that were somewhat androgynous. They made a lot of other things look fussy and old-fashioned in comparison.”

But Philo's Céline isn’t the only brand that has managed to assemble a legion of dedicated followers. Just look at Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons. Her provocative, unorthodox designs afford men and women the opportunity to completely transform themselves into powerful, almost alien beings. Rick Owens, too, has developed a somewhat religious following amongst urban men and women. One need only look at the contiguity of black platform leather boots, drapey noir robes and layers of leather outside Owens’ Paris shows to understand his clientele’s level of commitment.

You would imagine Shayne Oliver’s Hood by Air votaries—the latest tribe on the block—would quite literally follow him to the end of the earth, because he understands, and allows them to express, their individuality through breaking down the barriers between youth culture and the upper echelons of the fashion biz.

These designers satiate men and women’s desires to be different—but, perhaps, not too different. Is wearing these garments akin to being a member of some kind of exclusive club? Or perhaps it’s a shared understanding of what these designs signify—discretion, anonymity, and quiet luxury.

Style tribes form when a designer has tapped into an essential nook of the global mood—disobeying trends, fads, and often fashion itself. And maybe, on some level, through their ideologies and instantly recognizable philosophies, they give their clients something to believe in. What’s so wrong about that?—Katharine K. Zarrella