Anthony Vaccarello Leaves Saint Laurent After a Decade, Days After His Gilded Paris Finale

The Belgian designer took over in 2016, succeeding Hedi Slimane. He inherited a house with a famously strict, largely black-and-white vocabulary and loosened it, bringing in more colour, more volume and a more overt sensuality, while keeping the sharp shoulders and nightlife attitude that customers associate with the name. Towering heels and fluid silk trench coats became signatures of his era.

His shows were events in their own right. He staged cinematic shows that used Paris itself as the runway, and he brought in Hollywood names as brand ambassadors, making his front rows among the most coveted in the city, as FashionUnited put it. In 2023 Saint Laurent went further into culture by launching its own film production arm, an unusual move for a fashion label.

The business picture

Commercially, the Vaccarello years were a success story with a difficult final chapter. According to figures reported by The National and FashionUnited, the latter citing Business of Fashion, Saint Laurent's revenue roughly tripled under his leadership to a peak of about €3.3 billion. Growth then slowed from 2023 as aspirational shoppers cut back on luxury, and revenue fell to around €2.6 billion in 2025. The house has since shifted its focus towards wealthier clients, and FashionUnited reports that revenue returned to growth in the first half of 2026.

Saint Laurent is Kering's second-largest brand, so the change matters well beyond one atelier. Kering is in the middle of an 18-month overhaul under chief executive Luca de Meo, who described the moment as the start of "a new chapter" in the house's history. Plans reported by The National include expanding Saint Laurent's menswear and jewellery.

The final show

Vaccarello's last collection was, in hindsight, a fitting farewell. The National described a gilded collection staged under golden chandeliers, with the Eiffel Tower lit at the start and end of the show, and references to Yves Saint Laurent's 1991 Rive Gauche finale. There were no handbags on the runway, an unusual choice for a house where leather goods drive much of the business. The looks moved from gold into darkness as the show closed.

For a fuller picture of that week, read our guide to the Paris shows that defined spring/summer 2027.

Who comes next?

Saint Laurent has not named a successor. Some outlets have reported speculation linking Chloé's creative director, Chemena Kamali, to the role. That remains speculation and has not been confirmed by either company.

Why it matters for Indian readers

Saint Laurent is one of the most visible luxury labels in India's metro malls and on its red carpets. A change at the top usually means a new direction in the clothes and accessories that reach stores a season or two later, so shoppers and the Indian designers who follow Paris closely will be watching the appointment.

We will update this story when Saint Laurent names its new creative leadership.