Her father, Richard, is a surveyor and her mother, Celia, is an art dealer and graphic artist who had a hand in creating David Bowie's Aladdin Sane album cover.

She graduated showing a final student collection that The Guardian would later describe as having a "Latino influence and huge gold jewellery".

[4] Philo began working for Chloé in 1997 as Stella McCartney's design assistant, succeeding her as creative director in 2001.

[9][10] During her time at Chloé, Philo brought "easy-to-wear, feelgood designs, which mix boyish and girlish, retro and contemporary in a deft way".

[7] In 2008, LVMH offered Philo a job as creative director and board member of the French Maison Céline.

[16] Philo’s first ad campaign for Céline notably did not include the heads of the models, ensuring the focus would be on the clothes and bags.

[19] Philo revived Celine by seeking to redefine what women want to wear, with minimalist aesthetics, clean lines and tonal color palettes.

[30] before expanding 10 Corso Como in Milan, Dover Street Market in London and Paris, Maxfield and Neiman Marcus in Los Angeles, and The Webster in Miami later that year.