I visited the Saint Laurent store on Bond Street today after almost a year of not visiting. I went in search of a double breasted cape from the fall 2013 menswear collection (yes, that terrible collection had one or two really nice pieces). Unfortunately, the item I was looking for was sold out. In fairness, I have been very critical of Hedi's work at YSL; about almost everything from the name change all the way to the revolution of the brand's aesthetic. At the same time however, I have always thought that if I see these clothes in person, my mind would instantly be reversed. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I was actually really sad (it reminded me of how passionate i can be of fashion sometimes). Here are some of the highlights of the discussions I had with some of the sales people:
- Main sales people have been very unhappy and are upset with the current direction of the brand as many old customers have deserted it mainly due to the fact that the aesthetic has changed drastically and most of the clothes are so tight, you would have to go up a size or two. I tried a leather sweater, M ( i am usually S or M) and it couldn't go through my head.
- Sales have gone down significantly in menswear and accessories (saving graces are a blue/black/green varsity jacket in men's which retails for about £1200 and Stefano's accessories in women's). Targets have apparently been lowered to match the down turn in sales. (for Europe alone).
-Most of the clothes look very generic even though they are well made (as expected from a luxury fashion house). It looked like a glorified version of Topman. Some pieces are grossly over priced including a rabbit fur jacket with little hand painted details which retails for £10700 - apparently an Arab guy stopped himself from buying it once he found out it was rabbit.
- As stated previously, clothes are well made, but not better than before; in fact, one of the sales persons said the tailoring is not as good as before - i couldn't really clarify as i didn't try any tailored pieces.
During the time i spent in the store desperately looking for something to desire, I kept thinking "I can find this anywhere" or "this is a bit too nostalgic for my liking". My take on this is that PPR (Kerring) made an initial mistake by hiring Hedi, but this is one they have to live with for a while. It seemed to me that they relied mainly on his past glories and pre-existing customer base. Times have changed and many of the things he started have been widely copied. A similar scenario to that of YSL himself. So, I think Hedi should get to terms with the fact that he cannot keep designing like he was back in 2005,6,7 when he was at Dior Homme. I think he should respect the brands heritage in a more obvious way whilst still staying true to himself. At the same time, alienating old customers in the hopes of replacing them with entirely new ones is not working very well; at least in Europe; another factor that should be taken into account. If his has an over inflated ego, he should work on reducing it.
So, once again, I think while PPR might have made an initial mistake, replacing Hedi may cost them even more (due to all the changes and also, sourcing out the right candidate may take ages). They have to make the best out of this situation and it seems like they are. Judging by the current cruise collection, it looks as though they are rectifying this mistake. Hopefully he will get better from here on and be more consistent. I am eagerly looking forward to see what he does next. And btw, I eventually found the cape at Selfridges and it was awesome!
For all those still interested in this, what are your thoughts?
- Main sales people have been very unhappy and are upset with the current direction of the brand as many old customers have deserted it mainly due to the fact that the aesthetic has changed drastically and most of the clothes are so tight, you would have to go up a size or two. I tried a leather sweater, M ( i am usually S or M) and it couldn't go through my head.
- Sales have gone down significantly in menswear and accessories (saving graces are a blue/black/green varsity jacket in men's which retails for about £1200 and Stefano's accessories in women's). Targets have apparently been lowered to match the down turn in sales. (for Europe alone).
-Most of the clothes look very generic even though they are well made (as expected from a luxury fashion house). It looked like a glorified version of Topman. Some pieces are grossly over priced including a rabbit fur jacket with little hand painted details which retails for £10700 - apparently an Arab guy stopped himself from buying it once he found out it was rabbit.
- As stated previously, clothes are well made, but not better than before; in fact, one of the sales persons said the tailoring is not as good as before - i couldn't really clarify as i didn't try any tailored pieces.
During the time i spent in the store desperately looking for something to desire, I kept thinking "I can find this anywhere" or "this is a bit too nostalgic for my liking". My take on this is that PPR (Kerring) made an initial mistake by hiring Hedi, but this is one they have to live with for a while. It seemed to me that they relied mainly on his past glories and pre-existing customer base. Times have changed and many of the things he started have been widely copied. A similar scenario to that of YSL himself. So, I think Hedi should get to terms with the fact that he cannot keep designing like he was back in 2005,6,7 when he was at Dior Homme. I think he should respect the brands heritage in a more obvious way whilst still staying true to himself. At the same time, alienating old customers in the hopes of replacing them with entirely new ones is not working very well; at least in Europe; another factor that should be taken into account. If his has an over inflated ego, he should work on reducing it.
So, once again, I think while PPR might have made an initial mistake, replacing Hedi may cost them even more (due to all the changes and also, sourcing out the right candidate may take ages). They have to make the best out of this situation and it seems like they are. Judging by the current cruise collection, it looks as though they are rectifying this mistake. Hopefully he will get better from here on and be more consistent. I am eagerly looking forward to see what he does next. And btw, I eventually found the cape at Selfridges and it was awesome!
For all those still interested in this, what are your thoughts?