Hedi Slimane - Designer

[tricotineacetat]

Question is, when is the right time for a complete re-boot, or how consequent will the remake of Céline be under Hedi Slimane, knowing that even at Saint Laurent, they kept some of Stefano Pilati's best selling shoes and bags in the collection, some even until today.

You can also look at Kris van Assche's tenure at Dior Homme thinking that the stores were still selling a substantial part of Hedi's classics (denim, sneakers, suits) that needed very little updating every season to perform well.

 

[fashionista-ta]

F*uck off. Hedi for president 2020!!
Nuclear weapons too!

Now there's something he couldn't make any worse.

 

[Benn98]

Hedi Slimane Wins $11.5 Million From Saint Laurent

By Bloomberg
April 5, 2018 11:11

A French court ruled the designer had been underpaid by as much as €9.3 million after taxes by Saint Laurent-owner Kering for his last year of service at the brand.

PARIS, France — The owner of brands such as Gucci and Balenciaga thought it could pay the king of skinny jeans less than $1 million for his last year at Saint Laurent. They were wrong.

In designer Hedi Slimane’s lawsuit against the luxury group Kering SA, a French court ruled last week that he had been underpaid by as much as €9.3 million ($11.5 million) after taxes for his last year of service. In 2016, the 49-year-old had been paid less than €667,000 even after sales at Kering’s Yves Saint Laurent SAS division roughly tripled during the four years he was creative director.

The ruling opens a window into the lucrative contracts star designers get for their sought-after input in the fashion industry. At Saint Laurent, Slimane had a clause guaranteeing compensation after taxes of at least €10 million a year, mostly through an agreement to buy shares in the company and sell them back at a higher price, according to the March 28 Paris Commercial Court ruling.

Before joining Saint Laurent, Slimane had established his reputation as one of fashion’s most bankable designers during a stint at LVMH’s Dior Homme, where he set the agenda for menswear for more than a decade by bringing back skinny jeans and equally narrow suits. Earlier this year, LVMH said it had rehired Hedi Slimane to take over as creative director of its Celine label.

Messy Divorce

Slimane’s departure from Saint Laurent in 2016 turned into a messy divorce, with Kering and the designer fighting over issues including a €10 million payment for his non-compete clause, which the company had attempted to waive, and an intellectual property case over his photographs in Saint Laurent’s online archive.

A spokesman for Kering said the company planned to appeal the decision, but declined to comment further. Slimane’s lawyer, Herve Temime, said his client wouldn’t issue a statement on the case.

During four years at the iconic fashion house founded by Yves Saint Laurent, Slimane shortened the brand name to “Saint Laurent,” moved its studio from Paris to Los Angeles, revamped stores with a slick, monochromatic look and line-up of products inspired by rock-and-roll and youth culture. Black-and-white ad campaigns were shot by the designer himself. Lady Gaga was a big fan.

Saint Laurent’s sales crossed the €1 billion mark in 2016, with products from Slimane’s tenure like the $3,000 “Sac de Jour” handbag continuing to fly off shelves even as the designer was replaced by Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello.

This isn’t the first time Kering has tangled in court with one of its creative chiefs. In 2014 the company’s Balenciaga division sued its former designer Nicolas Ghesquiere, who had gone on to become womenswear creative director at LVMH’s Louis Vuitton, for making critical remarks about the brand’s management in a fashion magazine.

Source: Businessoffashion.com

 

[Melancholybaby]

Saint Laurent 2.0

Hedi Slimane Will Be Releasing Weekly CÉLINE Drops

Business of Fashion has revealed several key elements of what fans can expect from ex-Saint Laurent mastermind Hedi Slimane‘s CÉLINE makeover. One of the most anticipated collections of the year, CÉLINE’s return to the runway in September will accompany some bold business change-ups.

The LA-based designer reportedly plans to follow the release style made popular by brands like Supreme, where weekly drops accompany a core collection of essential pieces. Pop-up stores and small capsules will accompany a selection of Slimane’s signature season-less staples, like jeans and tailored outerwear. Furthermore, CÉLINE will revamp its stores in line with the new collections, which will expand to include scents, menswear and couture. The improved outposts will supposedly include a new space in New York’s Upper East Side — 650 Madison Avenue. Saint Laurent paid roughly $2 million USD to $8 million USD to revamp each of its stores under Slimane’s tenure — with 140 CÉLINE retail spaces worldwide, this move may cost LVMH a pretty penny, though with the upsized stores comes a diversified product line.

Sources report that although Slimane is “very respectful” of Phoebe Philo‘s CÉLINE, but the designer will transform the label into his own distinct vision. LVMH aims to boost CÉLINE from a €1 billion EUR company to “at least €2 billion EUR to €3 billion EUR, and perhaps more, within five years,” according to LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault’s investor meeting in January.

hypebeast.com

 

[LostInNJ]

^^
Not sure how this is Saint Laurent 2.0 based on the article...but ok.

 

[Lola701]

I don't see how this is Saint Laurent 2.0
Glad to see that he is finally respectful of someone else's work. Phoebe had also her line of staples pieces like jeans, crombie coats, shirts and nice knitwear. The only difference was that they had different shapes.

I hope Hedi will expand his aesthetic beyond the skinny line. Celine's stores are very beautiful right now and Saint Laurent's stores haven't changed since he left. I wonder if he is going to challenge himself.

 

[Melancholybaby]

Business of Fashion notes that Slimane doesn’t feel beholden to the minimalist casual luxury vibe created—and beloved among the label’s loyal customers—by former Céline designer Phoebe Philo. If you were into the rockstar look Slimane trotted out at Saint Laurent, chances are you’ll be quite happy with this new version of Céline. “He is doing exactly what he was hired to do, bringing his own vision to the brand,” the BoF report reads.

Slimane’s fingerprints will also be all over Céline’s physical presence. He’s remodeling each and every one of the label’s retail stores

Based on these and his history so far I doubt he'll challenge himself at all. He'll probably do the same rocker, skinny silhouette he did at Saint Laurent and of course revamp all the stores, packaging, advertising, brand communication etc. That's where my Saint Laurent 2.0 comment came from and I'm standing by it.

 

[Lola701]

^^
OK then.
Seriously, if he is going back to the rocker California thing again it will be very weird...
I mean, Saint Laurent is so much about him right now! From the stores to the menswear and even the visuals and all (Vaccarello's fashion is slightly different)...
It could be a bold move and i wonder what Kering will do from that.

 

[disco54]

Saint Laurent, Vacarello seems to be churning out xerox copies of Hedi's work, just see the latest menswear lol. Also Hedi needs to realize the Skinny pant waif look is more or less dead now, as its been done to death in the past decade , its stale asf. I have a REALLY bad feeling about this. Tisci has done a great job of respecting the house codes of Burberry. Celine has become sooo synonymous with Phoebe it will be difficult to separate to the two. I concur with Meloncholybaby, it won't be challenging just a lazy effort.

 

[Nymphaea]

It will be a Hedi egotrip. His revamped SL stores are looking very dated now.

 

[kasper!]

Hedi's taste is pretty bad when it comes to interior....I miss Pilati's opium rouge decoration in the YSL store sooooo much

 

[anlabe32]

He will ruin Celine like he ruined YSL.

If there's one designer who i'd wish to never have to see again it's him.

 

[MulletProof]

^ seriously. I thought he would take a well-deserved hiatus but no, what felt like 3 days later and he’s back and it’s ‘Make Céline Great Again’.. of all brands haha

 

[fashionista-ta]

I will say this much ... I just received a Celine look book for fall with the quantities ordered for all US stores, and I found them shockingly small. Clearly it's a business based on accessories ... but why not sell the clothes? It does seem like a missed opportunity.

As for his 'respect,' I'll believe it when I see it. At least there won't be a MCGA cap ... at least I think there won't

 

[disco54]

It will be a Hedi egotrip. His revamped SL stores are looking very dated now.

Pretty much, him joining Celine in itself is in a way to annoy the hell out of the media, because he knows full well Phoebe's Celine is held at a very high pedestal. Its funny you mention that, I went to the Gucci store and I found it inviting and glamorous. The YSL stores now are very dull and bare, It feels like a washroom in a hotel lobby and the drab colors are a turn off. They have some nice bags but overall it reminds me of All Saints lol

 

[TaylorBinque]

His YSL stores also served the worst service I experienced at any luxury brand. On the other hand, when I go into Gucci, it's always fun and the clothes are actually very great in person.

 

[GivenchyHomme]

I'm very curious to see what will happen to Saint Laurent once Hedi debuts. I'm sure they're feeling nervous. The recent SL menswear show seems like a reaction to the announcement of Celine Menswear. Vaccarello is riding on Hedi's succes and Kering is spending a fortune to keep it relevant. If Hedi gets his accessories right he could easily take down SL. The clothes are obvious throwaways but it the accessories that really shine. It's going to be very interesting to see what happens when the two go head to head.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ This assumes his Celine will be a retread of his ... everything else he's ever done, rather than the complete reinvention that Phoebe demonstrated. Sad to say, probably a reasonable assumption. It will be interesting to see how much he keeps in terms of successful past designs. I'm having trouble seeing how the two will mesh.

 

[Lola701]

I agree about what has been said regarding the stores. I don’t mind Hedi’s taste but his stores are not inviting. It’s part of an aesthetic but not of an experience. It’s very pragmatic, practical and cold....
They are designed to be coherent from cities to cities.

I will say this much ... I just received a Celine look book for fall with the quantities ordered for all US stores, and I found them shockingly small. Clearly it's a business based on accessories ... but why not sell the clothes? It does seem like a missed opportunity.

As for his 'respect,' I'll believe it when I see it. At least there won't be a MCGA cap ... at least I think there won't

I think that they are going to «*kill*» the last collection. Phoebe’s last collection is currently coming to the stores and will have quite a long run (as usual for pre-collection).

I suspect that Hedi’s resort or permanent collections will come to the stores in November or even with early drops after the shows. It will have a long run in the stores and if it’s a permanent collection, it might never be marked down during sales season.

But i’m Sure some Celine stores will carry that FW collection in very small quantities.

They kinda did the same thing when Stefano left YSL

 

[Melancholybaby]

I agree about what has been said regarding the stores. I don’t mind Hedi’s taste but his stores are not inviting. It’s part of an aesthetic but not of an experience. It’s very pragmatic, practical and cold....
They are designed to be coherent from cities to cities.

Definitely agree with this. Saint Laurent’s stores are very aesthetically pleasing to me but I can see how uninviting, cold and sterile they feel. Gucci and Saint Laurent are right next door to each other here, I’ve been to both and the feeling you get is miles apart. I’ve also been thinking about how invested LVMH must be in Hedi. They’re expecting him to double Celine’s sales yet his overhaul is probably going to alienate a huge chunk of Celine’s current clientele. They must have a lot of faith in Hedi’s cult following. If they’re smart they will at least continue producing Phoebe’s classic, best-selling bags.