"It's a form of respect"— Celine Dion explains why she buys her designer clothes instead of borrowing them

Grammy-winning singer Celine Dion recently explained why she buys her designer clothes. In an interview with Vogue France on April 22, 2024, the My Heart Will Go On singer told the magazine that, as a personal policy, she always brought the clothes from designers and refused to borrow them.

"I have always bought everything myself. I didn’t want to borrow. It’s a form of respect. People pay to come and hear me sing, so I pay to buy myself clothes by designers," Dion said.

Dion was chosen to feature in the May 2024 issue of Vogue France. In her interview with the publication, she cited her modest upbringing as a partial reason. She continued:

"I can say that, all my life, my mother mended my tights, sweaters, coats and mittens, all my little things for winter. I was very lucky, because I had 13 brothers and sisters, and I got everyone’s hand-me-downs. When I got my first paycheck, my first paid television appearances I bought clothes for myself and dressed myself.”

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Celine Dion remarked that she bought a house for herself and her family following her success

Born and raised in Canada, Celine Dion is hailed as the Queen of Power Ballads. She began as a teen star, releasing a series of French-language albums after she was discovered by her future husband and manager, René Angélil. She shot to international fame when she won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest.

Talking about her success, the I'm Alive singer told Vogue:

"With my first successes, I bought a house for myself and my husband, and for my parents and some family members too. After my first album in English, I was able to buy clothes by designers, and I started to read fashion magazines."

She debuted her English-language album, Unison in 1990, followed by The Colour of My Love in 1993, which established her as a pop artist in the American market, winning several awards. With 200 million records sold worldwide, Celine Dion is the best-selling Canadian artist and best-selling French-language artist in music history.

Dion explained that, due to her success, she started to be invited to fashion shows. Recalling a moment with the late German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld at one such event, she told Vogue that she was encouraged to buy designer clothes.

"He (Karl) looked at me and said, ‘You remind me of La Callas (referring to Greek-American soprano singer Maria Callas).’ I treated myself to a Lagerfeld jacket in the same way that people buy themselves diamonds," Dion explained.

In addition to her fashion style, Celine Dion also opened up about her struggles with stiff person syndrome (SPS). In late 2022, the singer announced she was battling the rare neurological diease that causes muscle stiffness and spasms.

"I haven’t beat the disease, as it’s still within me and always will be. I hope that we’ll find a miracle, a way to cure it with scientific research, but for now I have to learn to live with it," she told Vogue.

Celine Dion explained she goes through five days of intensive "athletic, physical, and vocal therapy" every week to help. Adding to that, the love from her fans and family is what keeps her motivated. A documentary about Dion's life and her struggles with SPS, titled I Am: Celine Dion, is set to begin streaming in June 2024.

Vogue France's next issue with Dion on the cover is set to go on sale this week.