Saint Laurent confirms Anthony Vaccarello's departure after a decade

It is now official: Anthony Vaccarello is leaving Saint Laurent. The French fashion house confirmed on Friday morning that its creative director, who has led the label for ten years, is stepping down.

As long suspected, Vaccarello's gold-gilded show for the SS27 season in Paris was his finale at the heritage house. Saint Laurent announced that the new creative leadership will be revealed shortly.

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Anthony for his contribution to Saint Laurent over the past ten years,” said Luca de Meo, CEO of Kering. “With his creative vision and high standards, he has helped to strengthen the lasting influence of one of the greatest French couture houses as we open a new chapter in its history.”

Vaccarello took over as successor to Hedi Slimane in 2016, leading Kering's second-largest brand. He redefined the label's sensuality and focused on cinematic fashion shows that made Paris itself his runway.

Under his creative leadership, Saint Laurent attracted some of Hollywood's biggest names as brand ambassadors and made its shows the most coveted front-row seats in the city. The appeal was also reflected in the numbers: according to Business of Fashion, revenue nearly tripled, reaching a peak of 3.3 billion euros, as Vaccarello's vision fuelled demand for the house's entire offering.

In 2023, growth slowed as aspirational customers began to pull back on luxury spending. Since then, Saint Laurent has increasingly focused on wealthier clientele, a change of course that gained momentum after revenue fell to 2.6 billion euros in 2025. In the first half of 2026, the house returned to growth.

This is the backdrop against which the change is taking place. Vaccarello leaves behind a house with a sharply defined identity and a recalibrated clientele in a tougher luxury market. Whoever follows him must preserve the former and build on the latter. Paris will be watching closely to see who is entrusted with this task.