Saint Laurent's Vaccarello Leaves After Decade

Models in almost entirely gold outfits walked Saint Laurent’s Spring-Summer 2027 runway on September 29, the Eiffel Tower lit behind them. “What passes sometimes leaves more light than what remains,” the note read.

That was the message Anthony Vaccarello gave the room. The collection stayed gold. Simon Longland, chief buyer at Harrods, called the evening “a true fashion moment ... that will live long in the memory of those of us privileged enough to witness it.” The New York Times described the same show as a “24-karat unofficial goodbye.” Vaccarello had been creative director of the house for a decade by then. The gold and the note were the signals the runway gave that night. The spectacle read as farewell without saying so. Speculation that the years at Saint Laurent might be ending had already begun to circulate through Paris Fashion Week. Nothing official confirmed a departure.

Saint Laurent sales under Vaccarello surpassed €3 billion in 2022. They reached US$3.2 billion in 2023.

In 2023 he founded Saint Laurent Productions. The company produced short and feature-length films including Emilia Pérez, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes and received Oscar nominations, along with Strange Way of Life, Father Mother Sister Brother, and others. Pedro Almodóvar, Jim Jarmusch, and Jacques Audiard were among the directors whose work carried the house name. Within its first years the production arm collected multiple international awards. A fashion house had become a force in cinema.

In a May 2026 interview with CNN marking ten years at the brand, Vaccarello said: “It was like a blink, and at the same time it was intense, it went so fast. It's such a beautiful job, it's such a privilege to do that.” Reports of his reluctance to leave the role were already circulating.

On Friday, October 9, 2026, the Kering and Saint Laurent statement landed. Anthony Vaccarello was out. The decade that began with his appointment as creative director in April 2016, when he succeeded Hedi Slimane, had reached its end.

“Vaccarello has played a key role in Saint Laurent's development, helping to strengthen its identity and influence across the worlds of fashion and culture,” the company said.

Luca de Meo, CEO of Kering, said: “Through his creative vision and exacting standards, he has contributed to strengthening the enduring influence of one of France's greatest couture Houses, as we embark on a new chapter in its history.” Cedric Charbit, president and CEO of Saint Laurent, said: “I would like to warmly thank Anthony for his ten years of dedication to the House. During his tenure, Anthony took Saint Laurent on a remarkable trajectory, elevating the house to the forefront of desirability and image, while accomplishing exceptional work both creatively and through his cultural impact.”

Anthony Vaccarello was born in Brussels in 1982 to Italian parents. He is 44. In 2006 he graduated in sculpture and fashion from La Cambre. That same year he took first place at the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography with a collection inspired by the Italian performer La Cicciolina. The win put him on the international map. He worked next at Fendi, including time alongside Karl Lagerfeld. In 2009 he founded his own label in Paris, defined by asymmetric cuts and sensual lines. He won the ANDAM Prize in 2011. Sculpture training, the prize circuit, and successive house posts formed the path that made the April 2016 appointment at Saint Laurent legible.

Saint Laurent’s gross revenues fell 9 percent in 2024 and another 6 percent in 2025 before stabilizing in 2026. At comparable exchange rates, 2025 revenue settled at €2.64 billion. Gucci fell 19 percent the same year. Kering shares are down 31 percent this year. The group is due to report third-quarter sales on October 22, 2026.

In February 2026, WWD reported that the brand had recruited handbag designer Johnny Coca, who had previously worked at Louis Vuitton, Celine and Mulberry. The hire landed as a quiet pivot on accessories while the creative chair itself turned. The luxury slowdown and the wider house-by-house reset framed the risk of replacing a designer who had carried both image and culture. Chemena Kamali is creative director of Chloé. From 2016 until 2023 she held the post of women’s ready-to-wear design director at Saint Laurent under Vaccarello, leaving the house the same year she took the top job at Chloé.

Vaccarello remains on the autumn awards calendar. He is due to receive the CFDA International Designer of the Year award on November 2, 2026, in New York. He is nominated for Designer of the Year at The Fashion Awards on November 30, 2026, in London. The October 9 statement left the next appointment open. The house will shortly announce its new creative leadership.