Hedi Slimane Has Officially Left the Saint Laurent Building
Photo: Billy Farrell/PatrickMcMullan.com
It finally happened, and, no, it’s not an April Fools’ Day prank. After being dogged by constant rumors that he was leaving the house — and a persistent refrain that Anthony Vaccarello would be his successor — Hedi Slimane has exited Saint Laurent, per a statement released this morning by parent company Kering. It would certainly explain the finality of his two-part collection this past season, with one taking place at a rollicking L.A. venue complete with live bands, and the other in a silent presentation at the house’s new couture atelier.
“What Yves Saint Laurent has achieved over the past four years represents a unique chapter in the history of the house,” said Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault in a statement. (Note that he reverted to the original name of the house, rather than Slimane’s renamed Saint Laurent Paris, which is telling.) “I am very grateful to Hedi Slimane, and the whole Yves Saint Laurent team, for having set the path that the house has successfully embraced, and which will grant longevity to this legendary brand.”
So, what’s next for Slimane? Could he be headed for the plum Dior spot? Chanel? Another house? Or perhaps some downtime in L.A. pursuing his photography avocation? Watch this space.
Click through the slideshow to see the best of Slimane’s four-year output at Saint Laurent.
Spring 2013 Slimane opened his debut collection with what he knew best: impeccable tailoring. This suit was sharp, skinny, and a natural extensio...
Spring 2013 Slimane opened his debut collection with what he knew best: impeccable tailoring. This suit was sharp, skinny, and a natural extension of his work at Dior Homme.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2013 But Slimane also has a softer, witchier side. The floppy hats were a big hit, as well as the flowy, dark bohemian dresses.
Photo: I...
Spring 2013 But Slimane also has a softer, witchier side. The floppy hats were a big hit, as well as the flowy, dark bohemian dresses.
Photo: Imaxtree
Pre-Fall 2013 Slimane loves musicians, often choosing to shoot them in lieu of models for his ads. Here, Sky Ferreira in another iconic Slimane-d...
Pre-Fall 2013 Slimane loves musicians, often choosing to shoot them in lieu of models for his ads. Here, Sky Ferreira in another iconic Slimane-designed piece: the leather moto jacket.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2013 Menswear For his debut menswear outing, it was clear that Slimane's mens and women's lines could almost be interchangeable. The men wer...
Fall 2013 Menswear For his debut menswear outing, it was clear that Slimane's mens and women's lines could almost be interchangeable. The men were stick thin, had lustrous hair but definitely knew how to rock hard.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2013 Menswear Oh and they weren't afraid of sequins either.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2013 In contrast to the witchy bohemian women who ruled his first runway outing, Slimane decided to go super luxurious grunge. It led to con...
Fall 2013 In contrast to the witchy bohemian women who ruled his first runway outing, Slimane decided to go super luxurious grunge. It led to controversial reviews but Kate Moss loved the sparkly tights and party dresses.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2013 Who else loved the collection? Paying customers. Sales were brisk with certain pieces, like this $1,290 selling out at all of the major...
Fall 2013 Who else loved the collection? Paying customers. Sales were brisk with certain pieces, like this $1,290 selling out at all of the major retailers like Barneys, Net-a-Porter, and more.
Photo: Imaxtree
Resort 2014 Also a retail hit: all of the accessories. From Slimane's sharp Chelsea booties to his sleek handbags like the chic Sac du Jour (pict...
Resort 2014 Also a retail hit: all of the accessories. From Slimane's sharp Chelsea booties to his sleek handbags like the chic Sac du Jour (pictured here), women wanted it all.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2014 Menswear If it wasn't clear that Slimane loved his rockers, this collection solidified it. References abounded from David Bowie to th...
Spring 2014 Menswear If it wasn't clear that Slimane loved his rockers, this collection solidified it. References abounded from David Bowie to the New York Dolls. The opening look seemed to pluck straight from Bowie's playbook: slicked hair, sequins, and the most perfect skinny jeans.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2014 Menswear Men in lipstick? Why the hell not.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2014 Slimane clearly defined his own aesthetic but he wasn't afraid to delve into the brand's archives. Besides his iterations of Le Smoki...
Spring 2014 Slimane clearly defined his own aesthetic but he wasn't afraid to delve into the brand's archives. Besides his iterations of Le Smoking suit, he also embraced the lip motif, like in this ruffly one shoulder top. The collection was eighties party girl and the street style set snapped it up instantly.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2014 Menswear As flashy as he was, Saint Laurent's menswear did have subdued moments like this natty suit and overcoat. The man knew how to ...
Fall 2014 Menswear As flashy as he was, Saint Laurent's menswear did have subdued moments like this natty suit and overcoat. The man knew how to deliver wearable pieces to his customers.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2014 Slimane established a reputation for turning mundane, thrift store items into something luxurious. Like those grungy plaid sweaters fro...
Fall 2014 Slimane established a reputation for turning mundane, thrift store items into something luxurious. Like those grungy plaid sweaters from fall 2013, this army jacket was actually lined in fur and cut to perfectly skim the body.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2014 Another big street-style hit: these sparkly booties.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2015 Menswear If your menswear is small enough to fit women, why not just throw in some womenswear on the runway was well? This bohemian, ...
Spring 2015 Menswear If your menswear is small enough to fit women, why not just throw in some womenswear on the runway was well? This bohemian, patchwork floral dress also became a street-style hit.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2015 Menswear Clearly this is a collection made for the likes of Harry Styles.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2015 Menswear A crochet afghan that looks like it came straight off your grandmother's sofa makes sense in Slimane's bohemian rocker world...
Spring 2015 Menswear A crochet afghan that looks like it came straight off your grandmother's sofa makes sense in Slimane's bohemian rocker world. Especially if you forget to wear a shirt underneath.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2015 Fluffy green muppet fur: instant street-style bait (and the road to winning a Golden Peacock!).
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2015 Menswear Someone clearly knows how to design for his best customer: himself. This model is a dead ringer for Slimane, down to the...
Fall 2015 Menswear Someone clearly knows how to design for his best customer: himself. This model is a dead ringer for Slimane, down to the mop of curly hair and swagger.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2015 Menswear In Slimane's world the men love their neon fur and the women in their lives are more than happy to borrow from their closets. ...
Fall 2015 Menswear In Slimane's world the men love their neon fur and the women in their lives are more than happy to borrow from their closets.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2015 Menswear You might wonder, who actually wears berets? It didn't matter, the pin-covered hats were a big editorial success.
Photo: Ima...
Fall 2015 Menswear You might wonder, who actually wears berets? It didn't matter, the pin-covered hats were a big editorial success.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2015 Normally the models at Saint Laurent wore minimal makeup save for some smudgy eyeliner. But this season it was pure bad girl glamour wi...
Fall 2015 Normally the models at Saint Laurent wore minimal makeup save for some smudgy eyeliner. But this season it was pure bad girl glamour with black rimmed eyes and red lips. The clothes were slashed, the fur was loud and you did not want to mess with her.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2016 Menswear Who better than Kurt Cobain to inspire one of his last collections? From the sunglasses to the thrift store-inspired clothes...
Spring 2016 Menswear Who better than Kurt Cobain to inspire one of his last collections? From the sunglasses to the thrift store-inspired clothes to the hair, it was pure nineties grunge.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2016 Menswear Where there is Kurt, there also must be Courtney. The babydoll dresses, combat boots, and sweet socks were straight out of L...
Spring 2016 Menswear Where there is Kurt, there also must be Courtney. The babydoll dresses, combat boots, and sweet socks were straight out of Love's wardrobe circa 1994.
Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2016 For his final spring collection Slimane dreamt up grunge princesses complete with tiaras. The filmy slip dresses were revealing, made...
Spring 2016 For his final spring collection Slimane dreamt up grunge princesses complete with tiaras. The filmy slip dresses were revealing, made for a confident woman who would wear them with rain boots to Glastonbury or with heels to a club.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2016 Menswear Opting to show in Los Angeles, Hedi again included plenty of womenswear in his menswear collection. The hemlines were longer, ...
Fall 2016 Menswear Opting to show in Los Angeles, Hedi again included plenty of womenswear in his menswear collection. The hemlines were longer, the detail more elaborate like this amazing feather dress and it was widely loved.
Photo: Imaxtree
Fall 2016 And so Hedi ends his time at Saint Lauren with a small, intimate show set to the sound of silence. Everyone received personalized chair...
Fall 2016 And so Hedi ends his time at Saint Lauren with a small, intimate show set to the sound of silence. Everyone received personalized chairs and the clothes felt even more like haute couture. He closed the show with an enormous fur coat that was in the shape of a heart -- his version of love ya, bye!
Photo: Imaxtree
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