Where is Yves?

Standing on the train as the rays of sunshine broke through the glass window, the sound of loud music blasted deep into my ears. I was scrolling through my phone, attempting to make the miserable hour pass faster than it truly was. Suddenly, there it was, a blazer, unmistakably Yves Saint Laurent. Yet, right before my very eyes, the logo vacant of its once powerful presence—now transformed into simply Saint Laurent.

My brows furrowed in confusion. Had they truly done this?  Was the first thought in my mind.

Agitated, I visited the page and scrolled frantically through their account. And the more, I scrolled, the more I questioned inside me: Where is Yves?

Suprisingly, the visuals seen on the runway of the latest Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2025/26 show at Paris Fashion Week scream of the existence of its creator, as if the machinery of recreation and reproduction continued within the very world he built—the Saint Laurent world.

The clothes, as if crafted by Yves’ own hand, reaching down from the unknown to take over the body of Anthony Vaccarello, creating the newest collection through his very touch. And Vaccarello himself delivered, by embodying this very instinct, and essence of the fashion house he is working for; a quality that many creative directors are lacking.

But what were these elements that testified to the clothes' altered identity? Were they the large, padded 80s-style shoulders? The masculine power suits? The shiny satin fabrics in bold colours? Or the straight-lined short dresses, reminiscent of those Yves created in the 70s?

Vaccarello himself testified in W Magazine that his collections within the house are influenced by the past and reimagined for the future (Middleton, 2025). But although this is common practice when passing the baton to the next generation of creative directors at a large haute couture house, what is surprising is that Vaccarello totally rejected all trends of the moment. Instead, he simply embodied nothing other than the Saint Laurent ideals of elegance and smoky sexiness.

Perhaps this is what has propelled the brand to success once again, staying true to its identity instead of succumbing to the micro-trends imposed by the industry.

Of course; associative learning, “the formation of associations among stimuli” (Byrne, 2013). In this case, the re-exposure of the public to a repetitive information, which automatically become subconsciously associated with the brand. The sharp tailoring, the commanding shoulders, the sleek silhouettes, and the effortless blend of masculine and feminine energy; elements, that have become synonymous with the Saint Laurent brand.

By learning the YSL visual identity over the years, consumers have associatively connected the brand not only to its name but also to its design elements. The use of the same iconic font for the logo, now absent of "Yves", further reinforces this recognition, allowing the brand's legacy to persist beyond its original name.

In that moment, I think, "They've liberated the brand from its creator and its past, preserving its identity while adapting it to suit its future direction."

And I gasped in intrigue as I realised…. They never truly erased him. 

He walks among the runway, his presence flickering to life in the faces of the models. For a fleeting moment under the light, Bella Hadid’s face transforms into his (Watch the video at 6:55). And you stand there wondering… Was it truly him? Perhaps the sleeked dark hair? His fair skin tone sharp cheekbones? The thick black glasses paired with the sharply tailored suit? No. It was not him. It was a presence that refuses to be forgotten, a ghost lingering in the shadows of the catwalk.

He visited again. In the opening of the Saint Laurent Men’s Winter 2024 Show (Watch the video at 00:11), the lookalike emerged from a tombstone-like doorway, framed with red roses. Behind him, a bright white light; the kind one follows into the afterlife. And the opening of the show, instead transformed into his very own resurrection. A ritual in which every detail, the cut of a blazer, the composed expressions, the slow and deliberate pacing, invokes the spirit of its own creator.

The brand has kept him alive through this timeless runway, again and again, resurrecting him whenever he is needed. Transforming him from Yves into the Saint—a Saint of Fashion, the Father, and the Spirit. A guiding force that refuses to fade, woven into the DNA of Saint Laurent itself. His name may no longer stand in full on the logo, but his essence remains, shaping every collection, haunting every silhouette, forever watching from above.

-a

Sources

Byrne, J. H. (2013). Learning and memory: Basic mechanisms. In Fundamental neuroscience (4th ed., pp. 1009-1027). Academic Press. Available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780123858702000470

Madan CR, Scott SME, Kensinger EA. Positive emotion enhances association-memory. Emotion. 2019 Jun;19(4):733-740. doi: 10.1037/emo0000465. Epub 2018 Aug 20. PMID: 30124317; PMCID: PMC6612425.

Middleton, W. (2025, March 11). Anthony Vaccarello reflects on nearly a decade at Saint Laurent, his famous muses, & what’s next. W Magazine. https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/saint-laurent-anthony-vaccarello-interview-2025

Saint Laurent. (2023, March 12). SAINT LAURENT - MEN’S WINTER 24 SHOW. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/live/NuWdlZ_GNUo?si=15XAT4QyhSrvS0gZ&t=11s

Saint Laurent. (2023, September 15). SAINT LAURENT - WOMEN'S SUMMER 25 SHOW. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/live/k42vhOWQk-Y?si=BoMHuW4WTTghLYsJ&t=415s