Ever since his arrival at the head of Yves Saint Laurent’s creative department in 2012, Hedi Slimane has never ceased to revolutionize the label. With his androgynous trademark, rocker DNA, and audacity in perfect accord with the youth of today, the artist is this year unveiling a new line of Saint Laurent travel accessories with all the modesty and refinement that make the brand’s creations so attractive in the first place. Even though the Yves Saint Laurent brand never developed its own canvas signature before, Hedi Slimane is definitely paying an homage to Yves’ legacy by thinking up this collection. He explored, sorted through, and managed to unearth a piece of writing from 1961 in the brand’s archives. It was from graphic artist Cassandre who, in that year, created the iconic YSL logo. For Pierre Bergé, “Cassandre was the greatest, the best graphic designer of her time.”
And today, through Hedi Slimane’s contemporary paradigm, the Saint Laurent logo has been shrunk down and infinitely repeated on leather and canvas. The result? Thirty androgynous pieces in every shape and size – attaché cases, wallets, iPad sleeves, bags or protective covers, it’s a new signature print that is now being released in three colors. On black, light brown, or dark brown, the monogram is refined to a T and stamped off as Made in Italy. Reenforced by delicate strips of black leather and awakened by the brand’s new golden logo, the luggage manages to acquire all the desirability of an instant classic. Obsessive like an icon. And yet the logos are densely woven together; this is to avoid being too showy or vulgar. For, as Yves Saint Laurent once said himself: “We should never confuse elegance with snobbiness.” This is how Hedi Slimane ended up sprinkling a touch of abstraction into the monogram’s renewed use. It’s a fitting way to celebrate the timelessness and sophistication of the Saint Laurent brand.
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