8843595265?profile=original

Anthony Vaccarello with the model Anja Rubik at a Paris show in 2013. He will become creative director at Yves Saint Laurent.

The fashion world’s game of musical chairs continues. Anthony Vaccarello, most recently the creative director of Versus Versace — the younger, funkier sibling brand of Versace and, of late, an incubator of up-and-coming designers — has been named the new creative director of Yves Saint Laurent.

 

Mr. Vaccarello, a 36-year-old Italian-Belgian designer, succeeds Hedi Slimane, whose long-rumored departure from Yves Saint Laurent, owned by the Paris-based group Kering, was made official on Friday.

 

Announcing the choice on Monday, Francesca Bellettini, the president and chief executive of Yves Saint Laurent, said of Mr. Vaccarello, “His modern, pure aesthetic is the perfect fit for the maison.”

 

Mr. Vaccarello, who had been the creative director of Versus Versace for a little over a year, announced his departure a few hours before the news about Yves Saint Laurent was made official. “While I’m sad to see him leave the Versace family, I wish Anthony Vaccarello tremendous success with his next chapter,” Donatella Versace, vice president of the Versace Group, said in a statement.

 

Mr. Vaccarello founded his own brand, in 2009, but will suspend that line to “devote himself fully to Saint Laurent,” according to a spokesman for the brand. He will be responsible for women’s wear, men’s wear, the couture line revived by Mr. Slimane and the image of the brand.

 8858651087?profile=originalAnthony Vaccarello and Donatella Versace at the Versus Versace spring 2016 show in London. Donatella Versace wear unique luxury wholesale rings in her finger.

His name first surfaced as a possible replacement for Mr. Slimane in January. He deflected the gossip as “a rumor” in March at his last show during Paris Fashion Week, which was marked by a combination of body-baring asymmetric lacing and leather that reflected his penchant for 1980s rock ’n’ roll, and that may connect his aesthetic to that of Mr. Slimane’s Saint Laurent line. (Ms. Versace once characterized Mr. Vaccarello’s signature look as “cool and sexy.”)

 

Certainly, he is not expected to carry out another wholesale reinvention of the house in the manner of Mr. Slimane, who redesigned not only the stores but also the furniture in the stores; photographed the ad campaigns himself; and dropped the “Yves” from the name of the ready-to-wear line. Unlike Mr. Slimane, who based himself in Los Angeles, Mr. Vaccarello is based in Paris.

 

8843595295?profile=original

Mr. Vaccarello will present his first collection for Yves Saint Laurent in October, during the spring 2017 shows of Paris Fashion Week.

 

Though most of the attention will now be on Mr. Vaccarello’s plans for the Saint Laurent label, his ascension further bolsters Ms. Versace’s position as something of a talent spotter and Versus as a potent launching pad for other designers.

 

Ms. Versace signed the British designer Jonathan Anderson for Versus in 2013 — just months before he became creative director of the Spanish brand Loewe, owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which also took a minority stake in his J. W. Anderson brand.

 

Before Mr. Anderson, Christopher Kane was the creative director of Versus from 2009 to 2012, and Kering bought a majority stake in his brand.

 

“In each instance, their time on Versus Versace led to them making a huge advancement in their design career,” Ms. Versace said in her statement, suggesting that she seemed to be embracing with gusto her role as a nurturer of the next generation.

 

“I appreciated the chance to work with each of these three designers, and I enjoyed seeing what they brought to a brand I truly love,” she said. “I’m proud that Versus can be such a remarkable global platform for emerging design talent.”

 

Versus has proved not just a Petri dish for designers, but one for approaches as well. Under Mr. Vaccarello, Versus embraced the see-now/sell-now model that is gaining traction in the fashion world, and last September made its clothes available for sale as soon as they were shown on the runway. The decision contributed to the Versace Group’s 17.5 percent increase in revenue in 2015.

 

Announcing the annual results last month, Gian Giacomo Ferraris, Versace Group’s chief executive, singled out Mr. Vaccarello’s Versus Versace, noting retail sales more than doubled compared with 2014, while wholesale revenue was up 21.4 percent.

 

All of which raises the stakes for whoever replaces Mr. Vaccarello at versus, as well as for Ms. Versace to continue her winning streak. Ms. Versace will say only that she will be “surprising everybody” with the announcement.

 

Correction: April 4, 2016

An earlier version of this article, relying on information provided by Anthony Vaccarello’s representatives, misstated Mr. Vaccarello’s age. He is 36, not 33.

PLEASE keep all discussions relevant to fashion, textiles, beauty products, or jewelry.

Follow the Fashion Industry Network Rules.

It is always a good time to review fabulous fashion.

 

Hot topics of possible interest:

  Thank you for using the Fashion Industry Network.  Have you helped another member today? Answer questions in the forum. It brings good luck.