The end of an era has arrived at Saint Laurent. Anthony Vaccarello has officially stepped down as creative director of the French luxury fashion house, bringing his decade-long tenure to a close and marking the beginning of a new chapter for one of fashion’s most influential brands.

Announced on October 9, 2026, by Saint Laurent‘s parent company, Kering, the departure ends ten years of creative leadership that reshaped the house’s modern identity through sensual silhouettes, powerful tailoring, provocative elegance and a distinctive vision of contemporary luxury. The house has confirmed that its new creative leadership will be announced soon.

For Vaccarello, whose arrival in 2016 followed the departure of Hedi Slimane, Saint Laurent became the defining platform of his career. For the house, his exit represents more than a change at the top. It closes a significant chapter in the continuing evolution of a fashion legacy founded on challenging conventions and redefining the modern wardrobe.

Anthony Vaccarello’s Departure From Saint Laurent Is Official

After weeks of speculation surrounding his future, Anthony Vaccarello’s departure from Saint Laurent has now been confirmed.

The Belgian designer joined the Parisian fashion house in April 2016, inheriting a brand whose contemporary image had been significantly shaped by Slimane’s rock-inspired aesthetic. Over the following decade, Vaccarello established a distinct creative language, balancing the house’s provocative heritage with a more architectural, sensual and sophisticated approach to dressing.

In its official announcement, Kering credited Vaccarello with strengthening Saint Laurent’s identity and influence across fashion and culture.

Luca de Meo, chief executive officer of Kering, expressed his gratitude for the designer’s contributions, praising his creative vision and exacting standards. Cédric Charbit, president and CEO of Saint Laurent, also acknowledged Vaccarello’s role in elevating the house’s desirability, image and cultural influence.

The announcement confirmed that Saint Laurent would reveal its new creative leadership in due course, leaving the fashion industry waiting to discover who will inherit the position.

A Decade That Redefined Saint Laurent

When Vaccarello took over Saint Laurent in 2016, he stepped into a position carrying considerable expectations.

Founded by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in 1961, the house built its reputation on a revolutionary approach to fashion. From the iconic Le Smoking tuxedo to designs that challenged traditional ideas of femininity, Yves Saint Laurent transformed the relationship between women’s fashion, power and personal expression.

Vaccarello understood that preserving this legacy did not necessarily mean recreating its past.

Instead, he developed a contemporary interpretation of the house’s codes, embracing sharp shoulders, sculptural dresses, sheer fabrics, leather, elongated silhouettes and dramatic eveningwear.

His collections frequently explored the tension between restraint and provocation. Tailored jackets appeared alongside revealing dresses, while minimal silhouettes were elevated through precise construction, luxurious materials and striking proportions.

The result was a Saint Laurent woman who embodied confidence, independence and unapologetic sensuality.

Rather than following every passing trend, Vaccarello built a recognisable visual identity that remained consistent across runway collections, advertising campaigns and the brand’s broader cultural presence.

That consistency became one of the defining characteristics of his tenure.

From Hedi Slimane’s Rock Aesthetic to Vaccarello’s Sensual Glamour

Vaccarello’s appointment followed one of the most closely watched creative transitions in contemporary luxury fashion.

Under Hedi Slimane, Saint Laurent developed a distinctive rock-and-roll identity characterised by skinny tailoring, youthful rebellion, leather jackets and a deliberately narrow silhouette.

Vaccarello inherited that recognisable image but gradually redirected the house towards his own sensibility.

His Saint Laurent was more sculptural and overtly sensual, with a renewed emphasis on the female form, strong tailoring and dramatic evening dressing.

Black remained central to the house’s visual vocabulary, while gold, sheer materials, fluid fabrics and exaggerated proportions introduced new dimensions to its collections.

His approach also demonstrated that a heritage fashion house could evolve without abandoning its defining characteristics.

Although the transition initially invited scrutiny, Vaccarello gradually established himself as a powerful creative force in Paris, developing an identity that was recognisably Saint Laurent while remaining distinctly his own.

Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2027: A Fitting Final Chapter

In retrospect, Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, presented during Paris Fashion Week on September 29, 2026, takes on a particularly significant place in Vaccarello’s legacy.

The collection arrived as speculation surrounding his departure intensified. Staged against the dramatic backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, the presentation embraced a striking gold palette that reflected the designer’s fascination with glamour, texture and commanding silhouettes.

Gold dresses, richly textured skirts, sharply tailored jackets and trench coats established a sense of theatrical sophistication. The collection’s closing looks shifted towards black gowns, bringing the presentation to a dramatic conclusion.

The setting reinforced the spectacle. Under the Parisian sky, the golden backdrop and illuminated Eiffel Tower created a visual statement befitting a designer who had spent a decade shaping one of the city’s most recognisable fashion houses.

Charlotte Gainsbourg performed during the finale before Vaccarello took his final bow to applause.

At the time, the show was widely interpreted as a possible farewell. With the official announcement of his departure on October 9, that interpretation has become part of the collection’s lasting significance.

The Spring/Summer 2027 presentation now stands as the final collection of his ten year tenure at Saint Laurent.

Beyond the Runway: Vaccarello’s Cultural Influence

Vaccarello’s contribution to Saint Laurent extended beyond clothing.

During his tenure, the house strengthened its position at the intersection of fashion, celebrity culture, photography and cinema.

His carefully constructed runway presentations and campaigns helped maintain Saint Laurent’s visibility in a luxury landscape increasingly shaped by digital media, celebrity appearances and global cultural conversations.

One of his most notable initiatives was Saint Laurent Productions, launched in 2023 to expand the house’s involvement in filmmaking.

The venture represented an ambitious extension of the brand’s creative identity, positioning Saint Laurent not only as a fashion label but also as a participant in contemporary cinema.

The house’s involvement in film reflected a broader understanding of luxury branding: cultural influence could be built through storytelling, artistic collaboration and experiences extending beyond traditional fashion collections.

This wider creative vision became an important part of Vaccarello’s legacy, demonstrating how a fashion house could preserve its heritage while finding new ways to participate in global culture.

The Business of Saint Laurent Under Vaccarello

Vaccarello’s decade at Saint Laurent coincided with a period of significant commercial expansion.

Under his creative leadership, the brand strengthened its global appeal and grew into one of Kering’s most important fashion houses.

According to Reuters, Saint Laurent’s annual sales surpassed €3 billion during his tenure, reflecting the scale of the brand’s expansion.

However, his departure also comes at a challenging moment for the wider luxury industry. Saint Laurent experienced sales declines in 2024 and 2025 before showing signs of stabilisation in 2026.

These developments form part of a broader period of change at Kering, which has been working to revitalise its business and strengthen the performance of its luxury brands.

Vaccarello’s exit therefore arrives at the intersection of creative succession and commercial strategy. His successor will inherit a house with substantial international recognition, a well-established visual identity and the challenge of sustaining its desirability in a changing luxury market.

Who Will Replace Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent?

With Vaccarello’s departure confirmed, attention is now turning towards the question of who will lead Saint Laurent into its next chapter.

As of October 9, 2026, the house has not officially announced his successor.

Chemena Kamali, the current creative director of Chloé, has been mentioned in fashion-industry speculation surrounding the position. Her previous experience at Saint Laurent, where she worked under Vaccarello, has made her name particularly relevant to discussions about the house’s future.

However, reports linking Kamali to Saint Laurent should not be mistaken for a confirmed appointment. Neither her succession nor the identity of a replacement has been officially established in the announcement.

Whoever takes over will face the delicate task of balancing innovation with continuity.

Saint Laurent’s identity is deeply connected to its history, yet its success also depends on the ability to remain relevant to new generations of luxury consumers.

A new creative director could preserve Vaccarello’s emphasis on sensuality and strong silhouettes, return to other elements of the house’s heritage or introduce an entirely different interpretation of its codes.

For now, the fashion world will have to wait for the house’s official announcement.

What Anthony Vaccarello’s Exit Means for Saint Laurent

Creative-director departures have become defining moments in the modern fashion industry.

At major luxury houses, a change in leadership can influence everything from runway aesthetics and advertising campaigns to product development, retail strategy and the brand’s cultural positioning.

For Saint Laurent, Vaccarello’s exit raises an important question: how does a house move forward after a decade under a designer who established such a recognisable identity?

His successor will inherit a brand whose modern aesthetic has been carefully developed around confident femininity, sensual glamour, precise tailoring and a strong visual identity.

Changing that language too dramatically could risk alienating customers who have embraced Vaccarello’s vision. Maintaining it too closely, however, could make it difficult for a new designer to establish an independent creative identity.

The challenge will be to find the balance between respecting the house’s established codes and introducing a fresh perspective.

That tension has always been central to the history of Saint Laurent. Since its founding, the house has evolved through successive creative interpretations while maintaining its commitment to modernity, individuality and a willingness to challenge conventional ideas of dressing.

Vaccarello’s departure continues that history of transformation.

The End of an Era at Saint Laurent

Anthony Vaccarello’s departure marks the conclusion of a defining decade for Saint Laurent.

Since his appointment in 2016, the designer has shaped a distinctive vision of contemporary luxury, one built on sensual silhouettes, powerful tailoring, dramatic presentations and a confident reinterpretation of the house’s heritage.

His work demonstrated that a historic fashion house could maintain its identity while continuing to evolve with the times.

From the runway to cinema, Vaccarello expanded the ways in which Saint Laurent expressed its creative ambitions, helping to reinforce its position as one of the most influential names in global luxury fashion.

Now, as the house prepares to announce its next creative leader, the question is no longer whether a transition is coming. It is what Saint Laurent will become next.

One chapter has officially closed. The next is yet to be written.

For the fashion industry, the departure of Anthony Vaccarello is not simply another creative-director change. It is the end of a decade that helped define Saint Laurent’s modern identity—and the beginning of a new era whose direction remains one of fashion’s most compelling questions.