Hedi Slimane rumored to be exiting Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent spring/summer 2015 campaign image

Rumors are circulating that Saint Laurent’s creative and image director Hedi Slimane is leaving the Kering-owned label after less than four years in the position.

According to WWD, Mr. Slimane and the company are failing to come to an agreement during negotiations for his renewed contract. The reported current favorite to fill the position is Anthony Vaccarello, who was named creative director for Versus Versace in September.

Cause for speculation
Mr. Slimane’s appointment to Saint Laurent in March 2012 was something of a homecoming. Starting in 1996, the designer was the director of menswear at what was then Yves Saint Laurent.

He then exited in 2000, leaving to join Dior as creative director of menswear. If the rumors are true, this is the second time he has left the house after a fairly short tenure.

During his time at the house, Mr. Slimane has made his mark, first rebranding it from Yves Saint Laurent to Saint Laurent Paris (see story).

From there, Saint Laurent Paris further distanced itself from its former identity with a rocker aesthetic, even casting some music icons in campaigns (see story).

Courtney Love for Saint Laurent Paris

Under Mr. Slimane’s leadership, Saint Laurent has seen financial success.

In Kering’s third quarter earnings reported Oct. 22, Saint Laurent saw a bump of 36.9 percent, much higher than the average luxury growth of 14 percent within the group. Comparably, Gucci posted sales growth of 8.6 percent (see story).

Saint Laurent opted to premiere its menswear collection and part of its women’s wear line at the Palladium in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, rather than its usual spot during the Paris men’s shows. However, the brand told British Vogue that this departure from the norm does not mean the show will not be Mr. Slimane’s.

Should Mr. Slimane leave Saint Laurent, it would be another shake up in the fashion world, following the departure of Raf Simons from Dior in October (see story) and Lanvin’s ousting of Alber Elbaz the same month (see story), neither of whom had been replaced as of press time. Tensions between houses and designers, as well as the pressure put on creative directors by a rapid pace fashion calendar have led to empty positions at a number of brands.

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