Hedi Slimane is a French photographer and fashion designer, most well-known for his controversial time as creative director at Yves Saint Laurent. The Frenchman began his career as an assistant in fashion marketing at Yves Saint Laurent in the 1990s, quickly rising through the ranks to become a designer, before he shot to prominence following his creative directorship of Dior Homme, and his popularisation of a skinny silhouette in menswear. In 2012, he returned to Saint Laurent to helm the brand's womenswear and menswear labels. In his four years in the position, Slimane's creative directorship divided opinion, but his LA youth culture-driven collections commanded the attention of the global fashion industry and drove stellar financial results. In April 2016, it was announced that Slimane would be exiting the storied Parisian house.

Bringing Back Rocker Chic
Ever fond of music and youth subcultures, the designer painted an edgier, younger and more accessible picture over the otherwise traditionally formal label. Rock ‘n’ roll would resonate in nearly all aspects of his work; from his blaring underground catwalk soundtracks, to his continuous rehashing of subcultural trends (rockabilly biker jackets, grungy tattered knitwear, dazzling, glam rock-inspired prints etc).

Blurring the Gender Lines With Unisex Silhouettes
Slimane has also been regarded as a purveyor of gender fluidity in his designs. Slimane saw a distinct merger between male and female silhouettes, characterized by vacuumsealed trousers, waifish suits cut with high armholes and narrow sleeves and the occasional skinny tie.

Dropping the “Yves”
Slimane swiftly kickstarted his rebranding of the storied French house by scandalously axing the label’s forename, Yves, and changing its font into something bolder and more modern.

Relocating to L.A
After taking the reins at Saint Laurent, Slime moved the French house far from its Parisian ateliers to the sunny SoCal city. An action that was a watershed moment for the fashion industry, putting the City of Angels on the style map like never before.

Reintroducing Couture
In 2015, Slimane relaunched Yves Saint Laurent Couture after the house parted ways with the division 10 years prior. Slimane was not only designing the line, but he carefully plucked out which lucky glitterati would be worthy enough to wear his custom creations.

THE YVES SAINT LAURENT REBRAND

Slimane In Fashion

From 1992 to 1995, Slimane assisted fashion consultant Jean-Jacques Picart on the centenary of the project "monogram canvas" of Louis Vuitton. The project invited seven fashion designers—Azzedine Alaia, Helmut Lang, Sybilla, Manolo Blahnik, Isaac Mizrahi, Romeo Gigli, and Vivienne Westwood—to reinterpret the monogram canvas in celebration of its longevity.
In 1996, Pierre Bergé installed Slimane in the position of ready-to-wear director of men's collections at Yves Saint Laurent and later he became artistic director. After the Black Tie collection for autumn-winter 2000–01, which foreshadowed the advent of Slimane's silhouette, and the debuts of "skinny," he chose to leave YSL, declined the offer of creative directorship at Jil Sander, and accepted the position of creative director for menswear at Christian Dior. In April 2002, Hedi Slimane was the first menswear designer to receive the CFDA award for International Designer.
He dressed female celebrities including Madonna and Nicole Kidman during his tenure at Dior. He furthermore created stagewear for groups such as The Libertines, Daft Punk, Franz Ferdinand, and The Kills, and artists such as Mick Jagger, Beck, and Jack White.
Slimane commissioned original soundtracks for his runway shows for Dior Homme, created usually by emerging avant-garde artists. Slimane did not renew his contract at Dior Homme, and instead returned to fashion and portrait photography. In March 2012, Slimane replaced Stefano Pilati as creative director at Yves Saint Laurent.

Slimane In Art + Photography

Immediately after leaving Yves Saint Laurent in 2000, Slimane moved to Berlin, where, upon the invitation by curator Klaus Biesenbach, he took up a residency at the KunstWerke Institute for Contemporary Art between 2000 and 2002.[3] Berlin, a selection of black and white photographs published by Editions 7L/Steidl with Karl Lagerfeldand Steidl in 2002, was Slimane's first book documenting the Berlin scene. [9] Stage, published by Steidl in 2004, is his second book published on the rock revival and the 2.0 generation. Also in 2004, Slimane created the album cover for the band Phoenix's album Alphabetical. In May 2006, Hedi Slimane created the photographic blog Hedi Slimane Diary. Slimane created his Rock Diary, beginning in 2004 in collaboration with the British journalist from NME, Alex Needham. In addition, he shot spreads for magazines including French Vogue, VMAN, and Purple. When Slimane left for America and based himself in Los Angeles in 2007, California became the subject of many of his images and later the subject of several exhibitions. In 2011, he curated "Myths and Legends of Los Angeles" a group show of Californian artists, at Almine Rech Gallery in Paris and Brussels. His own work was shown in 2011 at the MOCA, where Slimane presented a photographic installation that showcased an archive of images from his California period. The exhibition, titled "California Song", was created in a kinematics way, accompanied by a soundtrack by the musical group No Age. Body Copy 3

Slimane's Favorite Bands

Music is integral to Slimane’s work, and he is focused on both up-and-coming acts as he is on global superstars. Among the groups loved by Slimane, there’s a marked constant: an artfully disheveled nonchalance and a sound that veers into post-punk psychedelia. Find 10 of his most referenced bands below:

1. Sunflower Bean
2. Bleached
3. Tobias Jesso Jr.
4. The Paranoyds
5. Temples
6. Curtis Harding
7. No Parents
8. Cherry Glazerr
9. Swmrs
10. DIIV

Sources

“Hedi Slimane.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedi_Slimane.