The Belgian designer steps down as creative director, with a successor still to be named. Anthony Vaccarello is leaving Saint Laurent. Kering, the luxury group that owns the house, confirmed on Friday that the designer’s ten-year run as creative director has ended. Rumours had circulated for some time, and they grew louder after his most recent Paris show, including that Chemena Kamali, currently at Chloé would replace him.

His final collection was a procession of gold looks, widely read as a tribute to founder Yves Saint Laurent. In hindsight, many saw it as a farewell.

Vaccarello took the job in 2016, following Hedi Slimane, and spent the next ten years building a vision of the house that was unmistakably his. His Saint Laurent was sensual and edgy: sheer fabrics, sculptural shoulders, metallic accents, sharply cut tuxedos and a palette that leaned toward black. The look became a signature of the brand, and the commercial results followed. By 2022, the house’s sales had passed €3 billion. Kering’s statement said he had helped strengthen the maison’s identity and its influence across fashion and culture.

Kering CEO Luca de Meo thanked Vaccarello for his contribution, crediting his creative vision and exacting standards with reinforcing the standing of one of France’s most prestigious houses as it prepares to “open a new chapter” in its history. Saint Laurent chairman and CEO Cédric Charbit was equally warm, describing a period of exceptional growth in which the house reached the highest level of desirability and image, producing work of real creative and cultural significance.

Kering has not said who will take over. The group says only that the maison will “shortly announce its new creative leadership.” Given how closely Vaccarello’s aesthetic is tied to the house’s recent success, the appointment will be watched closely.

Vaccarello, now 44, was born in Brussels in 1982 to Italian parents. He studied sculpture and fashion at La Cambre, graduating in 2006. After winning the Hyères Festival, he worked at Fendi alongside Karl Lagerfeld, then launched his own Paris label in 2009, known for asymmetric cuts and sensual lines. He won the ANDAM Prize in 2011, and in 2015 he was named creative director of Versus Versace, the role that led to Saint Laurent.