Saint Laurent and its creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, are parting ways. The Belgian-Italian designer has led the Paris fashion house since 2016, when he took over from Hedi Slimane.
A house built on tailoring
Few fashion houses have done more for tailoring than Saint Laurent. In 1966 Yves Saint Laurent showed Le Smoking, a dinner suit for women, which changed the way women dressed for the evening and is still copied today. Ever since, the sharp suit has been at the heart of the brand, for men and women alike.
The Vaccarello years
Under Vaccarello, Saint Laurent’s suits have been strong and dramatic: wide, sharp shoulders, long lines, lots of black and a sense of night-time glamour. His shows in Paris, often staged in front of the Eiffel Tower, became some of the most talked-about events of fashion week. He also brought film into the house, with a production company that worked with well-known directors.
Saint Laurent is owned by Kering, the group that also owns Gucci, and it has become one of Kering’s most important brands.
What comes next?
The question now is who will take over, and what they will do with the suit. A new creative director could keep the sharp, slim silhouette, or move towards the softer, more relaxed tailoring that is popular elsewhere right now. Whatever they choose will ripple through the rest of fashion, as it always has with Saint Laurent.
Kering also shares its latest sales figures on 22 October, so there will be plenty of attention on the group over the coming weeks.
The tailoring view
Fashion houses change direction every few years. A bespoke suit does not have to. When a suit is made for you, the shape is your choice: as sharp or as soft as you like, and it will not go out of date when a designer changes jobs.
