Anthony Vaccarello will be departing his role as creative director of Versus Versace effective immediately, which he took on last January. It was a natural fit given Vaccarello’s penchant for sexy silhouettes. The news comes after much industry speculation that Vaccarello will be taking over the creative director role at Saint Laurent after Hedi Slimane’s recent departure.
“While I’m sad to see him leave the Versace family, I wish Anthony Vaccarello tremendous success with his next chapter,” said Donatella Versace in a press statement. “In the past several years, I have worked with three great young talents on Versus Versace: Christopher Kane, J.W. Anderson, and Anthony Vaccarello. In each instance, their time on Versus Versace led to them making a huge advancement in their design career. 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. I’m proud that Versus can be such a remarkable global platform for emerging design talent. As for the future, I’m most excited about taking on a bigger role with Versus, and doing what I always do—surprising everybody!”
Brussels-born Vaccarello debuted on the fashion scene in 2006 when he won first place at the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography. His collection inspired by Italian porn star La Cicciolina (also famous for being the former wife of Jeff Koons and inspiring some of his earlier works). He later worked at Fendi and then made a name for himself when he launched his eponymous collection in 2009. Vaccarello’s much-anticipated appointment at Saint Laurent would make him the sixth designer to helm the famous French luxury house.
