Hedi Slimane Sues Saint Laurent’s Parent Company

Update 6/29/16: Hedi Slimane has won his lawsuit against Kering. Today in Paris, a judge sided with the designer, who claimed that his former employer, Saint Laurent, did not apply a contractually obligated non-compete clause — and its attendant financial compensation — when he left the company in April.

Even as Anthony Vaccarello has begun measuring the drapes at Saint Laurent, outgoing creative director Hedi Slimane isn’t quite done.

According to Reuters, Slimane has filed a lawsuit against parent company Kering, and it’s for the opposite of what you might think. Instead of angling to get out of his non-compete clause, he’s angling to get back in it.


When Slimane left the company in April, Kering lifted the non-compete restriction — freeing him to go to Chanel, for example, as has been the prevailing rumor. A gesture of good will, it would seem, but if such a move does not materialize, the next best option is to receive the financial compensation a non-compete bestows.

Kering said the discord will not erode its gratitude for Slimane’s contributions to Saint Laurent, giving it fresh vision and steering it into the black during his four-year stint.

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