Grazia's fashion director, Rebecca Lowthrope, says Vaccarello's arrival at Saint Laurent is no surprise – the real question is who will replace him at Versus Versace?
Rumours have swirled since January that Anthony Vaccarello would take over from Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent, so Monday's official announcement came as no surprise. Vaccarello, the 37-year-old Belgian-Italian designer is known for his modern sexy take on womenswear which may be a good fit at his new post.
If you look at what has worked at Saint Laurent under Hedi Slimane it's been a simple formula of 'essentials' - the leather jacket, mac, johdpur boot, floral dress and so on - but delivered on rock-grunge heroines that look as if they've just rolled back from the party of their lives and then photographed in iconic black and white ad campaigns and sold in polished black lacquered stores - every step of the way art-directed by Slimane's singular eye.
Vaccarello's womenswear for Versace's Versus, his latest design gig, along with his own-name label, is in principal fairly similar - simple items delivered in a darkly, gothic and sexy way. The choice of Vaccarello is a bit predictable on the surface. We can only hope he digs through the Yves Saint Laurent archives and uncovers something - then twists it to suit the times - that inspires both him and us.
Since it's hardly breaking news, the more fascinating point to make is who Donatella Versace will choose to take over from Vaccarelllo. So far, She has managed to select three young designers one after the other for Versus who've gone on to great success: Christopher Kane who was awarded a financial deal with Kering (the luxury goods group which owns Saint Laurent) and JW Anderson who went on to head up the LVMH-owned Loewe, and now Vaccarello has won Saint Laurent.
So who next at Versus? Donatella has promised her choice will 'surprise'. Perhaps Marques' Almeida, the London-based Portuguese designers have the right swagger? The musical chairs continues...
Anthony Vaccarello has been confirmed as the new creative director of Saint Laurent. The news follows the departure of Hedi Slimane last week.
It was confirmed earlier today that Vaccarello had left Versus, Versace's diffusion line aimed at a younger, edgier audience.
In a statement, Vaccarello said: 'Mr Saint Laurent is a legendary figure for his creativity, style and audacity. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the history of this extraordinary house.'
Francesca Bellettini, President and CEO of Yves Saint Laurent said 'I am extremely happy to have Anthony Vaccarello take the creative helm of Yves Saint Laurent. His modern, pure aesthetic is the perfect fit for the maison [...] He is the natural choice to express the essence of Yves Saint Laurent.'
It's unclear whether Vaccarello will continue to work on his eponymous label.
Earlier today we wrote...
Anthony Vaccarello has left his role as creative director of Versus Versace, after one year at the label.
The brand confirmed the news in a statement from Donatella Versace on Sunday, which read: 'While I'm sad to see him leave the Versace family, I wish Anthony Vaccarello tremendous success with his next chapter.'
The announcement from Versace's sister label is widely rumoured to pave the way for the Belgian designer to take over as creative director of Saint Laurent, after the departure of Hedi Slimane was confirmed late last week. An announcement from Kering, the owners of Saint Laurent, is expected to follow this week.
Vaccarello has been linked to the top job at Saint Laurent since the start of the year, although the designer previously described the rumours as 'gossip' when speaking to reporters at his Paris Fashion Week show.
This major career move for Vaccarello also confirms Versus Versace's status as an incubator for rising fashion talent - Vaccarello's predecessors are Jonathan Anderson, who left Versace for a position as creative director with major Spanish label Loewe, and Christopher Kane, who worked with Versus from 2009 to 2012.
Commenting on this pattern, Versace said: 'In each instance, their time on Versus Versace led to them making a huge advancement in their design career. I appreciated the chance to work with each of these three designers, and I enjoyed seeing what they brought to a brand I truly love. I'm proud that Versus can be such a remarkable global platform for emerging design talent.'