In 1945, Céline Vipiana and her husband, Richard, created one of the first luxury brands in the industry, Céline, a made-to-measure children's shoe business, and opened a first boutique at 52 rue Malte in Paris. 

In 1960, the brand decided to change its positioning by focusing its business on a ready-to-wear fashion brand with a range of leather goods such as bags, loafers, gloves and clothes. Céline Vipiana remained the designer from 1945-1997.