Anthony Vaccarello is a Belgian fashion designer and currently creative director at Saint Laurent. Prior to this he held the position of creative director at Versus Versace, as well as designing his own eponymous line. In April 2016, Saint Laurent announced the appointment of Anthony Vaccarello as Creative Director. With a thorough understanding of the brand’s spirit, he has since his arrival, strongly empowered a highly desirable vision. Anthony Vaccarello’s collections are a sophisticated tribute to Paris, the atelier and the savoir-faire, conceived with a contemporary perspective. Since his appointment, he has affirmed his sharp, 360 degrees vision for Saint Laurent, pushing the brand forward with clarity and determination, mastering the House’s dynamics, its power over the collective imagination and developing an all-round vision, which is bringing the brand into the future while respecting its DNA.
Early life and education
Vacarello was born on 4 September 1982 in Brussels, Belgium. He is the only child of Italian parents; his father worked as a cartongesso maker and his mother in an office. Vaccarello completed one year of law school before enrolling at La Cambre in 2000 to study sculpture. Switching to the fashion course, he was to go on to graduate in 2006 with honours. His graduate collection was presented at the fashion festival in Hyères in the South of France for which he won first place with a collection inspired by La Cicciolina, artist’s muse, porn star, and politician.
Career
For two years, Vaccarello worked under Karl Lagerfeld at Fendi, specialising in fur designs. Then in January 2009, he moved back to Paris, making his eponymous ready-to-wear collection debut, showing five looks in the window of the Parisian boutique Maria Luisa. After an introduction to Lou Doillon at a dinner party, Doillon modelled in Vaccarello's lookbook, shot in a parking garage. With high hemlines and sexy power dresses becoming the core of his subsequent collections, he gained a celebrity following, dressing Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, Gwyneth Paltrow and Alessandra Ambrosio. By September 2014, Vaccarello was creating a capsule collection for Versus Versace. He went on to create several collections for Versus until April 2016 when it was announced that he had been appointed creative director of Saint Laurent Paris. With a thorough understanding of the brand’s spirit, he has since his arrival, strongly empowered a highly desirable vision. Anthony Vaccarello’s collections are a sophisticated tribute to Paris, the atelier and the savoir-faire, conceived with a contemporary perspective. Since his appointment, he has affirmed his sharp, 360 degrees vision for Saint Laurent, pushing the brand forward with clarity and determination, mastering the House’s dynamics, its power over the collective imagination and developing an all-round vision, which is bringing the brand into the future while respecting its DNA.
Awards and honors
In July 2011, he won the prestigious ANDAM Fashion Award and a €200,000 endowment.
