Courtesy of Hedi Slimane
There may still be a role in fashion on the cards for Hedi Slimane. The former Saint Laurent creative director didn’t rule out a return to the industry in an interview for the August issue of Vogue Italia. “Going back to design will always be an option, as long as I stay loyal to my principles, and keep protecting the integrity of my work,” he told Vogue Italia editor-at-large Luke Leitch.
Saint Laurent Spring 2016 under the artistic direction of Hedi Slimane. Indigital
Slimane joined Saint Laurent for the second time in 2012 – his first stint as director of menswear ready-to-wear ended when he left for Dior – when he underwent a “reform project” of the 56-year-old fashion house. Four years later, in April 2016, Slimane was out and Anthony Vaccarello was in as creative director, but not before Slimane had put his stamp on the brand: he dropped the “Yves” from the ready-to-wear label; established a design base in LA, 9,000km away from the Rue de L’Université, where the brand had been based since 1961; and changed the overall aesthetic of both the advertising campaigns and brick-and-mortar store interiors.
Saint Laurent Spring 2016 under the artistic direction of Hedi Slimane. Indigital
However, being a designer wasn’t always the plan for Slimane. “Very early on, probably at age 13, I had this fantasy of working for Le Monde, the French national newspaper, as a reporter,” he said, admitting that his style of photography is credited with a type of “perpetual photo reportage.”
Parisian-born Slimane, who has lived in Los Angeles since 2007, also cited his two hometowns as his inspiration in art and fashion, along with Berlin and London, where he spent a lot of time with British musicians. “I documented extensively what, for me, was one of the most exciting times in music,” he said. “Dior Homme shows from 2005 were exclusively filled with this magnificent legion of UK bands, and the fashion I was designing was somehow dedicated to them, a stage wardrobe.”
Since his departure, rumors have circulated almost monthly about where the former Saint Laurent designer will head next. Even though his primary focus is now on his photography and art career, his latest interview with Vogue Italia has fanned the flames once again.
