Hedi Slimane intends to redefine the iconic French fashion house by dropping the ‘Yves’ and branding it as Saint Laurent Paris.

Hedi Slimane intends to redefine the iconic French fashion house by dropping the ‘Yves’ and branding it as Saint Laurent Paris.

Slimane, who is the former creative director of Dior Homme, is hoping to “thrust Saint Laurent into a new era”, reports WWD. He wouldn’t be the first designer to instigate rebranding with the use of a singular name: Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Chalayan have all adopted a similar strategy.

However, it is not the first time that the house has shortened the moniker. In 1966, the designer launched the Saint Laurent Rive Gauche ready-to-wear, which promoted an image of youth, freedom and modernity.

YSL, who announced the appointment of Slimane in March, gave the designer “total creative responsibility for the brand image and all its collections.” It’s expected that the Paris-born designer, who is currently working on new store concepts, will introduce the ‘SLP’ moniker in time for the label’s spring / summer women’s show scheduled for September 25th.

- Richard Peckett