Anthony Vaccarello Is Leaving Saint Laurent After a Decade, and Kering Has Not Yet Named His Successor

Saint Laurent is looking for a new creative director. Kering, the luxury group that owns the house, confirmed on Friday 9 October that Anthony Vaccarello, the Belgian designer who has led its creative output since 2016, is leaving after ten years. A successor will be announced soon, Kering said, according to Reuters.

Vaccarello, 44, was appointed to succeed Hedi Slimane. His last runway show, for spring and summer 2027 in Paris, put gold dresses, trench coats and stilettos beneath gold chandeliers, a scene inspired by the Hotel Inter-Continental ballroom where Yves Saint Laurent staged couture shows from 1976, Reuters says.

What did Vaccarello change at Saint Laurent?

He kept the brand's Parisian identity, staged shows against a lit-up Eiffel Tower and pushed the house into film, including the Cannes-winning Emilia Pérez, according to Reuters. The house was founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. Under Vaccarello it grew into a global brand, helped by Chinese demand, and annual sales passed €3 billion in 2023.

FashionUnited, citing Business of Fashion, says revenue nearly tripled under him and peaked at €3.3 billion, before falling to €2.6 billion in 2025 and returning to growth in the first half of 2026. Reuters, working from Kering's figures, puts gross revenue down 9 per cent in 2024 and 6 per cent in 2025, largely stabilised this year.

Why does the timing matter for Kering?

Saint Laurent is the last major Kering brand to change its creative director. Gucci, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta all did so last year, Reuters notes, and we covered the latest in the sequence when Demna staged Gucci as a working boutique at Milan Fashion Week. Group chief executive Luca de Meo is overhauling Kering during a slowdown in luxury, its shares are down 31 per cent this year, and it reports third-quarter sales on 22 October.