- Born:
- July 5, 1968, Paris, France (age 58)
Hedi Slimane
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Who is Hedi Slimane?
Hedi Slimane, born July 5, 1968, is a French fashion designer and photographer. He is known for introducing an androgynous skinny silhouette that shook up the menswear fashion industry at the turn of the 21st century. Slimane has served as creative director for Yves Saint Laurent (2012–16) and Céline (2018–24).
Slimane's fashion career includes time at Yves Saint Laurent, where he became artistic director of menswear, and Christian Dior, where he rebranded the Dior menswear line as Dior Homme. Besides fashion, Slimane has also published several photography books and launched a personal photography blog called “Diary”.
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What is Hedi Slimane known for in the fashion world?
Hedi Slimane is a French fashion designer and photographer who gained recognition for revolutionizing menswear by introducing the androgynous skinny silhouette in the early 2000s.
Slimane worked as creative director for Yves Saint Laurent (2012–16) and Céline (2018–24). In 2000, he launched his "Black Tie" line, which featured the skinny silhouette that would dominate menswear for over a decade. Slimane later rebranded Dior's menswear line as Dior Homme. His designs gained a following among celebrities such as Karl Lagerfeld, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Jack White.
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What are some major fashion brands Hedi Slimane has worked with?
Hedi Slimane is a French fashion designer and photographer known for his androgynous skinny silhouette in menswear. He has worked with major fashion brands, including Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) as creative director from 2012 to 2016, during which the brand became known as Saint Laurent. Slimane also worked at Christian Dior, rebranding its menswear line as Dior Homme. In 2018, Slimane became the artistic, creative, and image director of Céline, where he expanded the brand by adding menswear before leaving in 2024.
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How did Hedi Slimane change the look of men’s fashion?
Hedi Slimane significantly impacted men's fashion by introducing an androgynous skinny silhouette in his "Black Tie" line in 2000. This style, launched during his time at Yves Saint Laurent, became the dominant trend for over a decade. Slimane further rebranded Dior's menswear line as Dior Homme and launched the "Higher" fragrance.
His designs gained a following among celebrities like Karl Lagerfeld, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Jack White. In 2002, he was named International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, marking his influence on menswear.
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What is Hedi Slimane’s impact on today’s fashion industry?
Hedi Slimane, a French fashion designer and photographer, significantly impacted the menswear fashion industry by introducing the androgynous skinny silhouette at the turn of the 21st century.
Slimane's "Black Tie" line in 2000, which he introduced while artistic director of Yves Saint Laurent's menswear division, popularized the skinny silhouette, which became the prevailing style for over a decade. This design quickly gained traction among rock stars and figures like Karl Lagerfeld.
As creative director for Yves Saint Laurent (2012–16) and Céline (2018–24), Slimane brought commercial success and expanded these brands, adding menswear to Cèline and significantly increasing revenue.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Hedi Slimane (born July 5, 1968, Paris, France) is a French fashion designer and photographer who was known for shaking up the menswear fashion industry by introducing an androgynous skinny silhouette at the turn of the 21st century. Slimane served as creative director for Yves Saint Laurent (2012–16) and Céline (2018–24).
Slimane dabbled in both photography and fashion as a teenager. He graduated with a degree in art history from the École du Louvre in Paris in 1992, after which he worked as an assistant to fashion consultant Jean-Jacques Picart. From there he moved on to work at the Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) fashion house in 1996 and soon became the artistic director of its menswear division. He introduced the menswear skinny silhouette on the runway in his “Black Tie” line in 2000, and it became the prevailing style for more than a decade. He left YSL and went to work at Christian Dior, where he immediately rebranded the Dior menswear line as Dior Homme (from Dior Monsieur) and launched a new men’s fragrance called “Higher.” His skinny silhouette quickly found followers in fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld (who famously lost 90 pounds in order to don Slimane’s designs) and among rock stars such as David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Jack White. Music was an integral part of his runway shows, for which he sometimes commissioned original music from (often up-and-coming) rock bands. In 2002 he became the first menswear designer to be named International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Slimane pursued photography alongside his design career. He published several books of photographs, including Intermission (2002) and Berlin (2003), Stage (2004), London Birth of a Cult (2005, about rock musician Pete Doherty), and the four-volume Anthology of a Decade (2011), which documents a 10-year period spent in Berlin, Moscow, Paris, New York City, Los Angeles, and London. He also began a personal photography blog called “Diary,” which he launched in 2006. The following year Slimane left his position at Dior, moved to Los Angeles, and concentrated on photography. “California Song,” an exhibition featuring Slimane’s black and white photographs of musical artists, was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California, in 2011.
Slimane returned to fashion design and to Yves Saint Laurent as its creative director in 2012. Under Slimane’s leadership, Yves Saint Laurent became known as “Saint Laurent,” and the design operation was relocated from Paris to Los Angeles. Though he proved a commercially successful force for the Saint Laurent brand, Slimane left that position in April 2016. In January 2018 it was announced that he would become artistic, creative, and image director of Céline, effective the following month. Over the next several years, Slimane expanded the brand, notably adding menswear. His changes helped reinvigorate Céline, which saw a dramatic rise in revenue. However, he left the label in 2024.