It takes a lot of courage to intervene to a reputable brand's logo especially when it comes to no other than Yves Saint Laurent. Once it was first announced that newly appointed creative director Hedi Slimane would rebrand the established house of what is now known as Saint Laurent, the majority of the fashion world heard the news with disapproval. When the new logo first appeared in July 2012, the drop 'Yves' was disrespectful enough, but the replacement of painter Cassandre's mythical 1961 YSL logotype altogether was thought of as absolute irreverence.
However it turns out Hedi Slimane and his vision of the brand show great respect to the very beginnings of the house in 1966 and to the original 'Saint Laurent Rive Gauche' used by Mr. Yves Saint Laurent.
This smart trick of 'retro-branding' received the honors of “Best Rebranding” award by Wallpaper magazine and it is only the beginning of an exciting new era for the fashion house.
