Brand · Brussels-born · Paris

Anthony Vaccarello

The Belgian-Italian designer who runs Saint Laurent — and an eponymous line built on sharp, sensual minimalism.

Anthony Vaccarello
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Anthony Vaccarello (born 1982 in Brussels) is the creative director of Yves Saint Laurent and the founder of his own eponymous line — a Belgian-Italian designer who came up through fur ateliers and Italian glamour.

Vaccarello studied sculpture and then fashion at La Cambre in Brussels, graduating with honours in 2006 and inspired to switch by Rei Kawakubo and Azzedine Alaïa. Karl Lagerfeld brought him into fur design at Fendi, where he spent two years before launching his own ready-to-wear in Paris in 2009. The eponymous collection won the 2011 ANDAM prize and its bare, body-conscious cut quickly drew a following.

He spent three years at Versace shaping Versus, latterly as its creative director, before being appointed to lead Saint Laurent in April 2016. In his first full year there, the house's revenue rose more than 25 percent.

The Anthony Vaccarello pieces worth knowing

Laser-Cut Scuba Mini Dress
Laser Cutout
Laser-Cut Scuba Mini Dress
A compact black mini that turns Vaccarello’s cutaway geometry into a clean retail piece: long sleeves, scalloped laser work and a body-skimming scuba base.
$421 at THE OUTNET
Buttoned Leather Ruffle Skirt
Asymmetric Skirt
Buttoned Leather Ruffle Skirt
A sharp black mini skirt with the Vaccarello signatures concentrated at the hem: leather panels, ruffle movement and hard metal buttons.
$912 at FWRD
Green Metallic Cut-Out Mini Dress
Fall 2012
Green Metallic Cut-Out Mini Dress
A runway green mini that softens the label’s cutout severity with a metallic, almost liquid surface.
Spring 2014 Strapless Gold-Button Mini Dress
Look 14
Spring 2014 Strapless Gold-Button Mini Dress
A strapless Spring 2014 runway mini where hard gold dome buttons punctuate a sharply fitted black body.
Leather Metal-Mesh Cutout Mini Dress
Fall 2014
Leather Metal-Mesh Cutout Mini Dress
A Fall 2014 runway mini that turns ruffle trim into armor: black leather, silver-tone mesh and a precise waist cutout.
$4,500 at 1STDIBS
Spring 2014 One-Sleeve Cutout Black Mini Dress
Look 34
Spring 2014 One-Sleeve Cutout Black Mini Dress
A black one-sleeve mini from Spring 2014, sliced open at the waist and hip for the label’s most graphic side profile.
$1,000 at 1STDIBS
Fall 2015 Star-Embellished Asymmetric Black Dress
Look 12
Fall 2015 Star-Embellished Asymmetric Black Dress
A Fall 2015 black dress where cutouts and metallic stars sharpen the designer’s side-slit language into a graphic motif.
$1,000 at 1STDIBS
Spring 2014 Off-the-Shoulder Asymmetric Mini Dress
Blue Trim
Spring 2014 Off-the-Shoulder Asymmetric Mini Dress
A navy-and-blue off-the-shoulder mini that translates the label’s side hardware and asymmetry into a cleaner cocktail shape.
$1,000 at 1STDIBS

Anthony Vaccarello shopping FAQ

Is Anthony Vaccarello a good designer?+

By industry measures, yes. After taking over as creative director of Saint Laurent in 2016, his first full year in the role saw the house's revenue climb 25.3 percent over the prior year. He arrived with a reputation earned through his own label and his work at Versace, and his sharp, sensual point of view has defined Saint Laurent ever since.

What is Anthony Vaccarello's design style?+

Vaccarello studied sculpture before fashion, and that 3D, body-conscious sensibility carries through his clothes. His signature is a sharp, sensual silhouette: plunging necklines, strong shoulders and clean architectural lines. The look is confident and a little severe, which is exactly why it has worked so well at Saint Laurent.

What is the difference between Anthony Vaccarello and Saint Laurent?+

They are not the same thing, though they are closely linked. Saint Laurent is the storied French house; Vaccarello is the Belgian-Italian designer who has been its creative director since April 2016. Separately, he also runs his own eponymous ready-to-wear line, which he debuted in Paris in 2009.

Does Anthony Vaccarello have his own label?+

He does. In January 2009 he moved back to Paris and debuted his eponymous ready-to-wear collection, showing just five looks in the window of the Parisian boutique Maria Luisa. That label is distinct from his Saint Laurent work, where he has been creative director since 2016.

Where is Anthony Vaccarello from?+

He was born on 18 January 1982 in Brussels, Belgium, the only child of Italian parents, which is why he's described as Belgian-Italian. His father worked as a plasterboard maker and his mother in an office. He completed a year of law school before switching paths into design.

Where did Anthony Vaccarello study fashion?+

He enrolled at La Cambre in Brussels in 2000, originally to study sculpture, then switched to its fashion course and graduated with honors in 2006. He has credited Rei Kawakubo and Azzedine Alaïa as the designers who inspired him to make the switch, and his graduate collection was presented at the Hyères fashion festival in southern France.

How did Anthony Vaccarello's career begin?+

After his Hyères graduate showing, Karl Lagerfeld offered him a fur-design position at Fendi, where he spent two years specializing in fur. He then launched his own line in 2009, won the 2011 ANDAM prize, consulted for and later became creative director of Versus Versace, before being named to lead Saint Laurent in 2016.

What award did Anthony Vaccarello win?+

His eponymous collection won the ANDAM Fashion Award in July 2011, one of the most respected prizes for emerging designers, which came with a 200,000 euro endowment. It was an early, formal signal that the industry saw serious promise in his work, well before his appointment at Saint Laurent.

Is Anthony Vaccarello connected to any well-known faces?+

Yes, particularly model Anja Rubik, a close friend who wore a revealing white Vaccarello dress to the 2012 Met Gala and walked in his A/W 2012 show. Actor Lou Doillon also modelled in one of his early lookbooks, shot in a parking garage, after the two were introduced at a dinner party.

Is Anthony Vaccarello's work worth investing in?+

For collectors of contemporary fashion, his pieces carry a clear authorship: that sharp, sensual, body-conscious cut is recognizable and consistent. Whether you're looking at his own label or his Saint Laurent collections, you're buying into a designer whose vision has measurably reshaped a major house, which tends to hold cultural value over time.