The Maison closes the chapter that began in April 2016, when Vaccarello succeeded Hedi Slimane.

When Kering announced Anthony Vaccarello as creative director of Saint Laurent in April 2016, the designer found himself facing a Maison that Hedi Slimane had already rewritten almost from the ground up. Right down to the name, stripped of the “Yves” that spoke to its lineage, Saint Laurent under Slimane had become a complete aesthetic system, recognizable in every detail: from casting to imagery, typography to stores.
Rather than simply taking on the legacy of an imposing predecessor, Vaccarello therefore had to contend with an identity that had already been profoundly redefined, without losing the commercial success built around that same vision. “I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the history of this extraordinary Maison,” he said at the time, in a concise statement that hinted at the challenge ahead.

Born in Brussels to Italian parents, Vaccarello left law school after just one year and entered La Cambre – École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels in 2000, where he initially studied sculpture before moving into fashion. He graduated in 2006, and his thesis collection, made entirely in leather and inspired by Cicciolina, earned him the Grand Prix at the Hyères Festival.
At Fendi, he spent two years working in the fur department under Karl Lagerfeld, a technical apprenticeship that would leave a clear mark on his later work, in his obsession with cut, material, and the construction of volume around the body.

In 2009, he debuted his eponymous label, and the vocabulary that would follow him through the years was already recognizable: short skirts, black, bare legs, sharp sensuality. The ANDAM Prize followed in 2011, and the following year, a dress worn by Anja Rubik to the Met Gala helped turn him into one of the most closely watched names of his generation. From 2014, he collaborated with Versus Versace, first as a consultant and then, from 2015, as creative director.

At Saint Laurent, Vaccarello opted for a tabula rasa. He wiped the Maison’s Instagram archive, with the idea of rewriting its identity on the digital level as well, and brought back the Cassandre monogram as a recurring signature.
His Saint Laurent woman lives through contrasts: tuxedos and transparency, sculpted shoulders and fluid draping, miniskirts and elongated silhouettes. The man follows a parallel trajectory, androgynous, sensual, and ultra-Parisian.
The industrial response accompanied the aesthetic one. From revenues of less than €1 billion in 2016, the Maison went on to surpass €3 billion, becoming one of the main engines of the Kering group.

In 2023, Vaccarello founded Saint Laurent Productions and arrived at Cannes with Pedro Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life, beginning a path in which cinema ceased to be merely a privileged territory for product placement and became a true space of expression for the Maison, a natural extension of its cultural identity.
The following year, the film division produced three films in competition: Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, nominated in 15 categories at the 2025 Oscars and winner of two statuettes, Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña and Best Original Song for “El Mal”; David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds; and Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope. Vaccarello served as producer on all three projects, while also overseeing the wardrobes.

Ten years after his appointment comes the announcement of his departure. The Spring/Summer 2027 collection marks Anthony Vaccarello’s final outing as creative director of the French Maison.

Getty Images.

Anthony Vaccarello Exits Saint Laurent After 10 Years

L'OFFICIEL PHILIPPINES SEPTEMBER 2026 - Marian Rivera ₱600

Anthony Vaccarello Exits Saint Laurent After 10 Years

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Anthony Vaccarello Exits Saint Laurent After 10 Years