Anthony Vaccarello Exits Saint Laurent After a Decade

Confirmed: Anthony Vaccarello is leaving Saint Laurent after ten years as creative director, Kering announced on October 9, 2026. The house said new creative leadership will be announced soon; it has not named a successor.

The announcement turns one of Paris Fashion Week’s most persistent questions into a clear leadership transition. Vaccarello joined Saint Laurent in 2016, succeeding Hedi Slimane, and built a decade-long tenure around a precise vision of Parisian glamour, disciplined silhouettes and image-making that reached beyond the runway.

Kering’s official statement credits Vaccarello with strengthening the house’s identity and cultural influence. Saint Laurent president and CEO Cédric Charbit highlighted both the creative work and the desirability built during the designer’s tenure.

The gold SS27 show is now his final collection

Vaccarello’s Spring 2027 show, staged in Paris on September 29, is now confirmed as his last for the house. The collection unfolded beneath monumental chandeliers with an extended sequence of gold looks before closing in black. It revisited Saint Laurent codes—including trenches, sahariennes, pencil skirts and eveningwear—through the high-contrast, tightly controlled language associated with Vaccarello.

Paris Runway Official approached the departure reports cautiously when the show took place. Our earlier article, “Saint Laurent Turns Paris Gold—But Vaccarello’s Future Is Unconfirmed,” separated the verified collection from industry speculation. Kering’s October 9 announcement now supplies the confirmation that was missing at the time.

That distinction matters. A runway atmosphere can suggest a farewell, but mood, casting and show notes do not constitute a corporate announcement. The official statement confirms the departure; it does not confirm the identity of the next creative director.

A decade that expanded Saint Laurent’s cultural reach

Vaccarello’s tenure connected product, runway spectacle and cultural production. His shows repeatedly used the Eiffel Tower and other Paris landmarks as part of the house’s visual identity, turning location into a recognizable communications asset.

The designer also helped push Saint Laurent further into film. Saint Laurent Productions, launched in 2023, placed the house directly inside cinema rather than limiting its role to wardrobe, sponsorship or red-carpet dressing. The division’s projects included Emilia Pérez, extending the brand’s authorship into another cultural medium.

Commercially, the period included major growth and a more difficult recent market. Reuters reported that Saint Laurent exceeded €3 billion in annual sales in 2023, before momentum weakened. Kering’s next appointment will therefore inherit both a powerful image system and the challenge of translating it into broader product growth during a luxury slowdown.

What Kering has confirmed

• Vaccarello is leaving after leading Saint Laurent’s creative direction since 2016.
• His Spring 2027 Paris show was his final runway collection for the house.
• Saint Laurent will announce new creative leadership soon.
• No successor was named in the October 9 statement.

What remains unconfirmed

Industry reports have discussed possible successors, but neither Saint Laurent nor Kering has confirmed a name. Reports should therefore avoid presenting any candidate as appointed until the house makes a formal announcement.

Kering has also not detailed Vaccarello’s next professional move. Any assumption that he will join another fashion house, launch a new label or move deeper into film remains speculation.

Paris Runway Official analysis: the next designer inherits a complete image world

The following is analysis, not a statement from Saint Laurent or Kering.

The difficulty of this succession lies in the coherence Vaccarello created. Saint Laurent under his direction was not merely a sequence of collections. It was a system: sharp silhouettes, controlled casting, dramatic nocturnal settings, Paris landmarks, music, celebrity relationships and film all supported one image.

A successor will need to decide how much of that system to preserve. Repeating it too closely risks appearing derivative; rejecting it too quickly could weaken an identity that audiences recognize immediately. The most effective transition may retain the house’s confidence and cultural ambition while broadening the wardrobe in areas where analysts see room for growth, including daywear, menswear and leather goods.

The communications challenge will be equally important. Saint Laurent’s next chapter will be scrutinized from the appointment announcement through the first campaign and debut show. Clear sequencing will matter: leadership confirmation, creative positioning, early product signals and the runway should each advance the story rather than compete with it.

A confirmed ending, with the next name still to come

Vaccarello leaves Saint Laurent with one of the longest major-house tenures of the current creative-director cycle. His decade established a forceful interpretation of the house and expanded its cultural footprint.

The final gold collection now reads as a conclusion because the company has said so—not because fashion observers inferred it. Until Kering announces the successor, that is where the confirmed story ends.

Source note: Confirmed facts are drawn from Kering’s October 9, 2026 announcement, Reuters and Vogue. Strategic interpretation is Paris Runway Official analysis.