Hedi Slimane Responds to YSL Rebranding Critics

And just when you thought we couldn't post more on the YSL rebranding, Hedi Slimane speaks up about the response to his decision in an interview. We were pleased to see how much it corroborated our assessment of the name change.

“It is interesting to see how much reaction this retro branding has created. Clearly, this period of the history of the house was not well-known, which I trust was a surprise for Pierre Bergé [Saint Laurent's long-term partner]. I went back to 1966 – just before the events of 1968 [when 11 million workers revolted against the conservative politics of then-President Charles de Gaulle - the biggest general strike in history], but the awakening of youth was in the air, and Yves Saint Laurent wanted to dissociate himself from the clientele of haute couture and embrace this new generation.”

Slimane's response confirmed that the retro-branding has strong historical roots and underpinnings and shows that much thought went into the decision. Oh, how the social media tides will probably turn and critics will end up raving about the talented Slimane after he debuts his first collection for the French fashion house. TFG turned out to be right before, and calls it again.