Celebrity News

Gucci eyes YSL’s Slimane to replace creative director

As speculation mounts over who will take the reins at Gucci following the dismissal of CEO Patrizio di Marco and creative director Frida Giannini, fashion insiders say Saint Laurent’s Hedi Slimane tops a short list being considered by parent company Kering owner François-Henri Pinault to take Giannini’s role.

Patrizio di Marco (left) and Frida GianniniGetty Images

Page Six exclusively first reported that top Gucci executives, and power couple, di Marco and Giannini would exit Gucci after sales continually slumped. We now hear that cooler-than-cool Slimane — who revamped Saint Laurent since taking over in 2012 — is a top contender.

Slimane designed menswear for YSL for two years before jumping to Dior Homme in 1999, where he made slim cut suits en vogue. He left in 2007 and concentrated on photography, and returned to YSL in 2012.

Slimane made sweeping changes, including re-branding as Saint Laurent and moving his creative offices from Paris to LA. After naysayers expected adverse reactions to his moves, sales have popped while Gucci’s ground to a halt.

Riccardo Tisci and Kim Kardashian.Getty Images

Other names on Kering’s short list include Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci — known for his close friendships with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. But sources say that he’s locked into his contract at Givenchy for years, and would be difficult to poach.

Another designer being considered is American Joseph Altuzarra, after Kering took a stake in his namesake company last year. Speculation had been building that Pinault’s firm could be grooming him for a bigger position.

Giannini will leave Gucci after she presents her fall 2015 collection in Milan in March. Di Marco, with whom Giannini has a child, is being replaced by Marco Bizzarri on Jan. 1. A rep for Kering didn’t get back to us.

In October, the company reported Saint Laurent sales grew 28 percent, particularly performing well in North American stores, while Gucci sales remain stagnant. The brand’s been unable to move away from a heavy logo look that’s fallen out of favor among fashionistas.