Yves Saint Laurent and PPR appoints Hedi Slimane as creative director

Yves Saint Laurent and PPR luxury group announced the appointment of Hedi Slimane as Creative Director of the maison Yves Saint Laurent. Slimane will assume total creative responsibility for the brand image and all its collections. In parallel with this new position, the designer will continue to pursue his career in photography. Hedi Slimane thus returns to the fashion house where he was Artistic Director of Menswear until 2000.

“Hedi Slimane’s exceptional talent and understanding of the spirit of Yves Saint Laurent heralds a promising new chapter in the story of the maison”, said Paul Deneve, Chief Executive Officer of Yves Saint Laurent.

“As one of the most important French fashion houses, Yves Saint Laurent today possesses formidable potential, which I am confident will be successfully harnessed and revealed through the vision of Hedi Slimane,” added François-Henri Pinault, PPR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Yves Saint Laurent is one of the world’s leading fashion brands. It designs, produces and distributes high-quality personal luxury goods, including ready-to-wear, handbags, luggage, small leather goods, shoes,  jewelry and eyewear. The luxury fashion house directly operates stores in major markets throughout the world and wholesales products through franchise stores and leading department and specialty stores. Yves Saint Laurent is owned by PPR, a worldwide leading Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle group whose shares are traded on the Euronext Paris.

The PPR Group empowers a coherent ensemble of Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle premium brands, specializing in apparel and accessories, to reach their full growth potential. Distributed in more than 120 countries, PPR generated revenues of €12.2 billion in 2011 and had over 47,000 employees at year end.