Hedi Slimane likes to adapt his new designs, like a caterpillar morphing into a butterfly in its cocoon. “Creative and image director” for Yves Saint Laurent, he’s daring: after his initial departure, the fashion House followed its own instincts and reinstated St. Laurent’s first name. The reworked brand name Saint Laurent Paris is a sign of Hedi’s return. As soon as the name change took place, social networks and a large part of the fashion microcosm expressed their outrage, raising objection to this audaciously unrestrained move. The commotion must have reminded Pierre Bergé of the year 1966, when he and Yves first decided to append the name “Saint Laurent” onto their ready-to-wear line!
In any case, Hedi Slimane isn’t the type to take hasty judgments into consideration. In 2000, he brought the same transformation to the Christian Dior Monsieur label: Dior Homme was an infusion of freshness: removing the intimateness of the first name from the title, he left behind a bit of his personality through ultra-fitted cuts. Skinny jeans, blazers, and ties became the brand’s go-to masculine garb. He who never wondered if an article of clothing was masculine or feminine was able to rapidly impose his unique touches: as both a photographer and a designer, Slimane oozes all the cheeky melancholy of rock ‘n’ roll. He “sells more of a look than a clothing item” 1.
Tight-lipped about his new responsibilities, he is nonetheless in it for the long-run. He originally landed the job of creative director at YSL in 1996. Over the course of four years, he excelled in the art of transcribing, with a certain reverence, the “little prince of Haute Couture’s” harmony. Today, more mature, close to the Golden Age of his creations, the 21st century tux-designing prodigy has raised some doubt regarding the reinterpretations he’ll effect upon Saint Laurent’s mythic pieces such as the safari jacket; but first of all, which Parisian will he rescue from his Los Angeles studio? Stay tuned Monday night for the beginning formulations of a response.
1- Hedi Slimane
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