In the fickle world of high fashion, nothing is ever what it seems. And so it was with the curious case between Hedi Slimane and his former employer - Saint Laurent's parent company Kering. At first glance, it would seem Slimane's lawsuit was over his terminated contract with the French luxury label and the non-compete clause that usually places a one year ban on the designer from heading to another rival company. After departing Saint Laurent in April this year, it seems the non-compete clause was abolished, leaving Slimane free to take up post wherever he liked.
While many speculated the designer/photographer was headed for the likes of Dior or even Calvin Klein, the lawsuit brought to light Slimane's real plans: he wanted a payout, not another high-profile assignment. And lucky for Slimane, he got his wish and was awarded a $13 million payout from Kering. According to Reuters, Slimane's lawyer Herve Temime was pleased with the result. "I'm happy because this [is] a natural outcome. The contract terms were absolutely clear."
The whole case just leads us to ask one thing: if $13 million is what Slimane got for not going to a competitor, we wonder how much his whole four-year Saint Laurent contract was worth? Perhaps that's a question we should pose to the Saint Laurent's new creative director Anthony Vaccarello?
