Anthony Vaccarello Leaves Saint Laurent After a Decade as Creative Director

Anthony Vaccarello is leaving Saint Laurent after ten years as creative director, bringing his tenure at the French fashion house to an end. Kering, Saint Laurent’s parent company, confirmed his departure on October 9, 2026, and said the house would announce its new creative leadership soon.

Appointed in April 2016 to succeed Hedi Slimane, Vaccarello oversaw a period of substantial revenue growth while developing a distinct interpretation of the house’s established design codes. His tenure also saw Saint Laurent expand into film production, adding another dimension to its presence in fashion and culture.

“Through his creative vision and exacting standards, he has contributed to strengthening the enduring influence of one of France’s greatest couture Houses,” Kering chief executive Luca de Meo said in a statement.

Cédric Charbit, president and chief executive of Saint Laurent, credited Vaccarello with strengthening the house’s image and desirability while contributing to its creative development and cultural influence.

Anthony Vaccarello’s Appointment at Saint Laurent

Photo: Saint Laurent

Vaccarello was 36 when Francesca Bellettini, then chief executive of Saint Laurent, appointed him creative director in April 2016, four days after Slimane’s departure. Before joining the house, the Belgian designer had served as creative director of Versus, Versace’s second line, since 2015, following a collaboration with the label that began in 2013.

He had also run his own label since 2009, closing the business after accepting the Saint Laurent position. In 2011, he won the Andam Fashion Award, then presided over by Pierre Bergé, co-founder of Yves Saint Laurent.

Vaccarello inherited a house that had experienced considerable growth under Slimane. Saint Laurent’s revenue rose from €354 million in 2011 to €974 million in 2015. Under Vaccarello, revenue more than tripled to €3.3 billion in 2022, according to Vogue Arabia.

The designer drew on his upbringing in Brussels and education at La Cambre, alongside the influence of his Sicilian heritage. In a 2015 interview with Vogue Australia, he described his approach as combining Belgian construction and deconstruction with Italian sensuality.

How Vaccarello Shaped Saint Laurent

Throughout his tenure, Vaccarello revisited the house’s established silhouettes while developing his own approach to their construction and proportions. Sahariennes, trench coats, pencil skirts, brocades and evening dresses featured in his collections, which drew on the founder’s work without simply reproducing it.

His runway presentations also reinforced Saint Laurent’s association with Paris. Shows staged against the Eiffel Tower, including presentations at the Trocadéro, became a defining feature of his tenure. His first Trocadéro show was Vogue Runway’s most-viewed presentation of that season.

From Fall 2019, his collections increasingly expanded on the founder’s designs, testing familiar silhouettes and codes through contemporary proportions and construction.

Vaccarello understood that his interpretation would not appeal to everyone. In a 2018 interview with Vogue, he acknowledged that audiences had different expectations of Saint Laurent and that previous creative directors had faced similar responses. He said he was comfortable with differing opinions about his work.

His Spring/Summer 2027 Collection Was His Last

Photo: Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent presented its Spring/Summer 2027 collection in Paris on September 29, 2026, ten years and two days after Vaccarello’s debut at the house.

Staged beneath the Eiffel Tower and three large, candlelit chandeliers, the show opened with 49 looks in shades of gold before closing with 10 black looks. Sahariennes, trench coats, pencil skirts, brocades and evening dresses revisited familiar elements of the Saint Laurent wardrobe.

The color sequence reversed the ending of Yves Saint Laurent’s Fall 1991 Rive Gauche collection, which had concluded with gold looks.

Speculation about Vaccarello’s future at the house had circulated since the summer. Ahead of the presentation, he declined the preview interviews usually held before a collection and distributed black calla lilies with a note describing the collection as personal and emotional.

Music from Miles Davis’s soundtrack for Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows played before the finale, which included a surprise performance appearance by Charlotte Gainsbourg. Vaccarello then took his final bow surrounded by models before crossing the runway to hand an object to his son. The gesture prompted speculation about its meaning, but no explanation was confirmed.

Kering’s announcement on October 9 confirmed that the presentation was Vaccarello’s final collection for Saint Laurent.

Saint Laurent Productions Extended the House’s Work in Film

Vaccarello’s work at Saint Laurent extended beyond fashion. In 2023, he conceived the launch of Saint Laurent Productions, the house’s film-production arm.

Its projects have included Emilia Pérez and Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope. The initiative also continued Saint Laurent’s historical connection with cinema. Yves Saint Laurent designed costumes for Catherine Deneuve in Luis Buñuel’s 1967 film Belle de Jour.

Vaccarello also maintained relationships with figures associated with the house, including Charlotte Gainsbourg and Anja Rubik. Their connection to his Saint Laurent reflected a longstanding relationship between the fashion house and the women who have helped shape its public image.

Saint Laurent’s Business Performance

Photo: Getty Images

Saint Laurent’s revenue peaked at €3.3 billion in 2022 before declining over the following three years. The downturn coincided with weaker demand across the luxury sector and the house’s decision in 2023 to reposition its business away from wholesale distribution.

Revenue fell to approximately €2.64 billion in 2025. Reuters reported that sales declined by 9 per cent in 2024 and 6 per cent in 2025 before largely stabilising in 2026.

Vaccarello’s departure comes as Kering works to improve its performance under de Meo. The group has also changed creative leadership at Gucci, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta amid a broader effort to address the luxury slowdown.

The next creative director will inherit a house with an established international presence and a business facing renewed pressure to grow. Kering has not yet announced who will take over from Vaccarello.

Who Will Succeed Anthony Vaccarello?

Saint Laurent has confirmed that its new creative leadership will be announced soon, but no successor has been named.

The appointment will mark the next stage for a house whose identity has been shaped by successive creative directors, each bringing a different interpretation of Yves Saint Laurent’s work. Vaccarello’s decade at the brand combined references to the founder’s designs with his own approach to silhouette, runway presentation and the relationship between fashion and film.

For now, Saint Laurent’s next creative direction remains undecided publicly, as Vaccarello’s ten-year tenure comes to a close.