Vaccarello Leaves Saint Laurent After 10 Years

Vaccarello leaves Saint Laurent, and fashion has a new puzzle to solve. According to Reuters, Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello is leaving the French house after a decade as creative director, and Kering says a successor will be announced soon.

What Kering actually said

The news landed on Friday in a short statement. Saint Laurent said Vaccarello led the house's creative direction since twenty sixteen and helped strengthen its identity and influence across fashion and culture, according to the Kering press release.

Kering chief executive Luca de Meo thanked him in the release. He said that through his creative vision and exacting standards, Vaccarello had contributed to strengthening the enduring influence of one of France's greatest couture houses, as it embarks on a new chapter in its history. No reason for the departure was given, and no replacement was named.

The golden goodbye

Fans had already smelled a farewell. His spring twenty twenty seven show in Paris on September twenty ninth was dripping in gold and closed with a run of black looks. According to Fashion Times, the Vogue Runway review by Nicole Phelps read the collection as a goodbye and ended with a line from the Robert Frost poem Nothing Gold Can Stay.

The finale also reportedly flipped a moment from Yves Saint Laurent himself. Vogue noted that the gold to black progression inverted the closing of the founder's fall nineteen ninety one Rive Gauche collection, which had ended in gold. W Magazine added that the show closed with a performance by Charlotte Gainsbourg.

A decade of sharp tailoring

Vaccarello took over in April twenty sixteen, following Hedi Slimane. His version of Saint Laurent leaned on sharp silhouettes, pencil skirts, tailored separates and dramatic eveningwear, plus runway shows staged in front of the illuminated Eiffel Tower. Reuters reports that he turned the brand into a global powerhouse by tapping strong Chinese demand, pushing annual sales well past three billion euros in twenty twenty three.

That peak did not last. Reuters says the label lost traction over the last couple of years amid a wider luxury slowdown, which is part of why this exit reads as more than a creative decision.

Part of a bigger Kering shake up

Saint Laurent is the latest Kering brand to change course. Reuters notes that Gucci, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta all switched creative directors last year as de Meo tries to overhaul the group after years of decline. The company's shares are down about thirty one percent this year, and its third quarter sales report is due on October twenty second.

For a group that leans so heavily on Saint Laurent, the next hire matters. The house has to protect a look that Gen Z shoppers know from Rosé, Zoë Kravitz and Charli xcx campaigns while giving the brand fresh momentum at the till.

The timing is notable too. Fashion month has only just wrapped, brands are shifting from the runway to selling the clothes, and a vacant creative chair at one of the most recognizable names in luxury will keep the rumor mill spinning for weeks. Expect retailers, stylists and fans to watch every hint from Paris closely.

Who could be next

Nothing is confirmed, so treat the chatter carefully. Reuters says industry speculation points to Chemena Kamali, currently creative director at Chloé and previously womenswear design director at Saint Laurent. Neither Chloé nor its parent company, Richemont, had commented when Reuters reported the rumor.

Vaccarello has not shared publicly what comes next for him either. Cedric Charbit, president and chief executive of Saint Laurent, thanked him warmly for ten years of dedication, according to USA Today. Whoever steps in will inherit a house that is still culturally huge but has something to prove commercially.

Keep an eye on our fashion coverage for the announcement. If the way Vaccarello leaves Saint Laurent is any guide, the next name will come with a big reveal, a new campaign and plenty of debate online about whether the house should stay sleek or go somewhere new.