Paris Fashion Week kicks off tomorrow with a buzz over the debut of the designer Hedi Slimane at Yves Saint Laurent. All eyes are on the return of Slimane, who retired from fashion five years ago and who, along with John Galliano's recently named successor at Dior, Raf Simons, is considered among the top designers of his generation.
"Slimane and Simons bring a powerful new energy that makes Paris stronger on the creative scene," said Serge Carreira, a professor at Sciences-Po university.
Both in their 40s, the two share a pared-down aesthetic and are set to inject a strong new identity to the classic houses they are joining; Slimane has already changed the name of his ready-to-wear line to Saint-Laurent Paris.
"We haven't seen anything like this since the arrival of Galliano at Dior and Alexander McQueen at Givenchy in the mid-90s," Didier Grumbach, head of the French Couture Federation, says of the excitement at their arrival.
"Paris is now firmly at the centre of the map."
The double debut of Slimane and Simons is also being billed as a duel between two giants of the industry: Dior, owned by Bernard Arnault the head of the LVMH luxury conglomerate; and Saint Laurent, part of the PPR empire of Francois-Henri Pinault.
Born to a Tunisian father and Italian mother, Slimane is seen as having revolutionised the way men dress during his stint at Christian Dior, from 2000 and 2007, making Dior Homme each season's must-see show. His distinctive skinny suits and tight, low trousers found imitators not just in fashion but in the rock sphere that so fascinates him. – AFP
ALL DRESSED UP
The National's fashion correspondent Gemma Champ is writing every day from Paris Fashion Week. See our fashion blog All Dressed Up to read her posts, as well as her letters from London and New York.