A look at the ads from Anthony Vaccarello for the house of Saint Laurent from Spring 2017 to Today
Anthony Vaccarello’s predecessor as creative director of Saint Laurent, Hedi Slimane, had radically shifted the house’s aesthetic identity, in terms of both design codes and marketing communication. Slimane had brought the house back to the fore of commercial and cultural relevance, but his highly personal and unchanging vision meant the brand had strayed far from its progressive roots. Entering the house in 2016, Vaccarello had the difficult task of maintaining the successes that Slimane had created, while remaining true to Saint Laurent’s original vision for the house – as well as to his own.
Vaccarello has risen to the challenge with a carefully crafted synthesis of the house’s history. His ads blend Saint Laurent’s values of progressivism and inclusion, Pilati’s street-smart yet sophisticated energy, and Slimane’s chic rock-and-roll rebellion.
Like Pilati and Saint Laurent before him, Vaccarello often relied on a favorite group of talented models to develop a consistent brand personality, bringing Freja Beha Erickson, Mica Argañaraz, Anja Rubik, Hiandra Martinez, and Zoë Kravitz into the fold. He also continues to work frequently with Kate Moss, one of Saint Laurent’s original muses, with the legendary Naomi Campbell making a few appearances as well. Vaccarello’s inclusive casting honors one of the eponymous founding designer’s most closely held values.
In general, Vaccarello’s campaigns tend to fall into two camps, each with two sets of photographers, which creates a very consistent visual identity for the brand. There are the studio portraits by David Sims or Gray Sorrenti, which rely on simplicity, personality, and slick art direction to make their impact. Then there are the street photographs by Juergen Teller or Inez & Vinoodh. Both Teller and Inez & Vinoodh were frequent collaborators with Stefano Pilati, who in turn referenced Saint Laurent to bring the looks out of the studio and into the world.
While bringing color back into the campaign photographs marked an obvious change from Slimane, Vaccarello does continue to frequently cast celebrities, and especially musical artists, in his black-and-white studio campaigns. But his picks have tended to be even more unexpected or of-the-moment, with casting choices including the likes of Jon Waters or Rosé from Blackpink. Considering his continuation of Slimane’s rock-and-roll chic design aesthetic, the parallel casting approach makes a lot of sense.
With simultaneous access to a wealth of history from one of fashion’s most iconic brands and a finger on the pulse of contemporary culture, Vaccarello is in a strong position to continue guiding Saint Laurent into a promising future.
Spring 2017
Photographer David Sims, Model Laetitia Casta
Photographer Collier Schorr, Models Adut Akech, Cara Taylor, David Friend, Freja Beha Erichsen, Hiandra Martinez, Josh McLellan, Jourdana Phillips, Mica Argañaraz, Mileshka , Selena Forrest
Photographer Collier Schorr, Models Dalibor Urosevic, David Friend, Louis Marzin, Lukas Ionesco, Noe Martin, & Simon Souchois
Fall 2017
Photographers Inez and Vinoodh, Models Fernanda Oliveira, Hiandra Martinez
Photographer Collier Schorr, Models Binx Walton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Dalibor Urosevic, David Friend, Hiandra Martinez, Louis Marzin, Mica Argañaraz
Spring 2018
Photographer David Sims, Model Kate Moss
Photographer David Sims, Talent Vincent Gallo
Photographer David Sims, Talent Zoë Kravitz
Fall 2018
Photographers Inez and Vinoodh, Model Kate Moss
Photographers Inez and Vinoodh, Models Mica Argañaraz, Sebastian Peschen
Photographer David Sims, Model Lennon Gallagher
Photographer David Sims, Talents Betty Catroux, Charlotte Casiraghi, Zoë Kravitz
Photographers Inez and Vinoodh, Models Adut Akech, Anja Rubik, Cara Taylor, Hiandra Martinez, Maria Miguel, Raquel Zimmermann
Spring 2019
Photographer David Sims, Models Amber Valletta, Mathilde Henning, & Rebecca Leigh Longendyke
Photographer David Sims, Talent Travis Scott
Photographer Gray Sorrenti, Models Anok Yai, Dylan Christensen, Kaia Gerber, Mads Mullins, Najib Abdi, Raimundo Langlois, & Simona Kust
Photographer Juergen Teller, Models Abbey Lee, Freja Beha Erichsen, Julia Nobis, & Mica Argañaraz
Fall 2019
Photographer Juergen Teller, Models Anja Rubik, Anna Herrera, Freja Beha Erichsen, Kiki Willems, & Vilma Sjöberg
Photographer David Sims, Talents Finn Wolfhard, Keanu Reeves, Models Anja Rubik, Jamie Bochert
Photographer Juegen Teller, Models Anja Rubik, Freja Beha Erichsen, Kate Moss, Liya Kebede, Mica Argañaraz, Naomi Campbell, & Stella Tennant
Spring 2020
Photographer Gray Sorrenti, Models David Prince, Dylan Christensen, Erin Mommsen, Fran Summers, Mads Mullins, Simon Prii, Simona Kust, & Vilma Sjöberg
Photographer David Sims, Talents Ezra Miller & Rami Malek
Photographer Juergen Teller , Models Aylah Peterson, Binx Walton, Elise Van Iterson, Freja Beha Erichsen & Zoë Kravitz
Fall 2020
Photographer Juergen Teller, Model Grace Hartzel
Photographer David Sims, Talents Lenny Kravitz, Rosé Park & Jon Waters
Photographer Juergen Teller, Models Debra Shaw, Freja Beha Erichsen, & Laetitia Casta
Spring 2021
Photographer Gray Sorrenti, Talents Rosé, Yves Rohloff, Elise Van Iterson, Mika Schneider, Najib Abdi, Zso Varju, & Vova Slivka
Photographer David Sims, Talent Catherine Deneuve
Photographer David Sims, Models Aylah Peterson, Justice Smith, Naomi Campbell, Sora Choi & Gauge
Photographer Juergen Teller, Model Kate Moss
Photographer Juergen Teller, Models Alma C, Alyda Grace, Anja Rubik, Assa Baradji, Aylah Peterson, Hailey Bieber, Kiki Willems, Laiza de Moura, Liya Kebede, Megan Miles, Mica Argañaraz, Mika Schneider, & Sihana Shalaj
Fall 2021
Photographer Gray Sorrenti, Talent Zoë Kravitz
Photographer David Sims, Talents Lakeith Stanfield, Dylan Robert & Romeo Beckham
Photographer Gray Sorrenti, Talent Romeo Beckham, Hailey Bieber, Sonny Hall, Megan Miles, & Anok Yai
