It was always this way for me, but not for everyone.
NYC MIDTOWN LOCATION
When Lyst revealed its Q3 report on the hottest brands, I wasn't surprised to see Saint Laurent at number one. But, I was surprised to focus for moment on Saint Laurent from the perspective of a business model rather than my usual source for inspiration as I am passionate about the brand.
Two different worlds, business and creative, must work together for a fashion house to run successfully, build profitably, and maintain relevancy. And when a house like Saint Laurent, with an abundance of historical impact and significance, the standards grow higher every season. Granting creative directors with vastly different aesthetics the keys to legacy fashion houses like Dior, Chanel, Alaïa, Bottega Veneta, can quickly become a slippery slope. Aside from the position of the creative director, the house alone must know who they are to provide parameters. And Saint Laurent knows who they are.
SS26
Anthony Vacarello brings out the best of Saint Laurent and he has for some time. Since April 2016, nearly a decade of grit and consistency, Anthony has mastered the balance of commerciality with luxury all while maintaining the importance of exclusivity. Luxury houses mustn't be available for all, or else the magic is gone. If something feels like it can't be reached we want it more.
ANTHONY VACARELLO
I must say, I had the opportunity to meet Brant Cryder, CEO of the Americas, during my time as a Saint Laurent intern while studying fashion in New York City. The experience was nothing short of a delight, a story for another time. But when a brilliant creative director is paired with a clear, strategic, and successful team of CEOs, the machine naturally runs smoothly.
Saint Laurent, owned by Kering—whose portfolio includes Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga—has long benefited from strong leadership. Francesca Belletini operated as the CEO for Saint Laurent until January 2025, and has since moved to Gucci. The role has now been acquired by Cédric Charbit, who was previously at Balenciaga. We all understand how influential Balenciaga grew to develop over the past few years. It will be interesting to see how Saint Laurent evolves and progresses under this new leadership.
CÉDRIC CHARBIT
FRANCESCA BELLETINI
The demand for Saint Laurent has only grown. Those lucky enough to be on the PR list are iconic figures, reserved for it girls and influential figures across fashion, film, music, and art. This strategically adds more desire, fueling the brands engagement with consumers and press. Their fabulous leather bombers run for $7,000. But wouldn't you if you could? Saint Laurent's RTW is a pillar to the brand's identity, we gaga for Vacarello's work. Consumers don't purchase just to dress, they buy it to feel apart of something, to self identity with something. A version of themselves that is sharper, refined, self assured. Each store is curated with detail, an immersion into a different dimension. At their Beverly Hills location, I was pleased to walk into a rich feast of jewels and color!
BEVERLY HILLS LOCATION DISPLAY
At every chance I visit a store, I try on a full look. My true form.
SF LOCATION
With a variety of accessible price points, handbags, sunglasses, shoes, accessories, and overall small leather goods are often the places to start. Saint Laurent has mastered offering countless of popular and timeless options in these categories. Through my time as a stylist, I can identify their brand codes as easy as it is for me to breathe air. You don't need to mesmerize every product to know that YSL crosses your path daily. This influence is further noted by Lyst that online searches for Saint Laurent's "Le Loafer, Q3’s 2nd hottest product, rose an average of 66% month-on-month during the quarter" (“Q3-25.” Your World of Fashion, www.lyst.com/the-lyst-index/the-lyst-index-q3-25/).
LE LOAFER
"Fashions fade, style is eternal", Yves Saint Laurent said himself. The man who entered the world of fashion as just a boy. A boy who grew with the weight of holding Parisian couture together and destroying it all at once. Rebuilding the once restrained woman, to release her natural elegance, sophistication, and sex appeal. A revolution.
1971, THE SCANDAL COLLECTION
Yves Saint Laurent may be as disgusted at the state of fashion as it is today as it was headed towards when he passed in 2008. The industry's obsession on pumping out commercial products and outperforming competitors in quarterly sales figures has only grown. I'm not sure how he would look at the brand today, there are so many questions I would dream of asking. After all, he was a driver in the ready to wear business to begin with and decided to build a company of his own after his time at Christian Dior.
But what I do know is that fashions do fade. Saint Laurent is forever.
