Forum Members Sound Off on Hedi Slimane’s Exit From Saint Laurent — and It Ain’t Pretty

This is not an April Fools’ Day joke. Hedi Slimane is officially out at Saint Laurent, with the fashion house confirming the news to WWD this morning. When Slimane’s contract expired on Thursday, the fashion house and designer came to a mutual agreement to part ways.

Saint Laurent formally thanked Slimane for his efforts over the past four years, saying, “What Yves Saint Laurent has achieved over the past four years represents a unique chapter in the history of the house. 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.” 

While the powers that be at the fashion house may be sad to see Slimane go, our forum strongly disagrees. VogueDisciple93 exclaimed, “Whichever God answered my prayers, Thank you!”

“4 years of one looooooooooong collection,” Les Sucettes lamented. “I’m glad he’s leaving, i think he’s an interesting designer, but should never be hired by any fashion house. What he did for Saint Laurent would be exactly what he would do if he had his own label, and that’s simply not enough.”

Rumors are swirling that Anthony Vaccarello might succeed Slimane at Saint Laurent, following a January WWD report. Our forum was even more disgruntled by the thought of Vaccarello taking helm of the brand.

dior_couture1245 snarled, “Why would they choose Vaccarello? What a pitiful choice that would be…the man hasn’t shown the slightest versatility. All he seems capable of is a stilted and stuffy cliché of sexy clothes, all of which are overworked and gimmicky.”

Yohji echoed those sentiments. “I was so excited when I read the article and then I saw who could be his possible successor. It’s as if they’re aiming to destroy the YSL image even further.”

“Honestly this is a two-edged sword for me,” dodencebt explained. While I didn’t like what Hedi was doing at the house, seeing a less talented designer trying to copy him is probably worse.”

Maxlinden seemed utterly confused. “After all time it took for me to get behind this man’s stubborn direction? This is such confusing move, and Vaccarello? Can you get more cheap?”

Only time will tell what direction the fashion house will take following Slimane’s sudden exit. Stay tuned to this space for updates. In the meantime, check out Slimane’s final collection for the Saint Laurent brand below.

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