Hedi Slimane Defends His YSL Work in Twitter Tirade
9:27 AM PDT 10/7/2016 by Stephanie Chan

Hedi Slimane - Publicity - H 2016
The press-shy designer went on a 22-tweet rant Thursday evening.
Hedi Slimane usually lays low when it comes to social media (as in, he doesn't post anything), but on Thursday evening, the designer decided to let off some steam via a Twitter rant in the form of not one or two tweets, but 22 all-caps statements to express frustrations about his former employer Yves Saint Laurent.
And we're not talking about that lawsuit against Kering (parent company of YSL), either.
Slimane, who departed the storied French fashion house in March after more than three years as creative director, took to the online platform to correct "inaccurate statements" regarding his "usage of the YSL historical logo," statements that suggested he tried to remove the "Y" from the logo when he renamed the house Saint Laurent during his tenure. (His successor, Anthony Vaccarello, showed his first collection Sept. 27 during Paris Fashion Week.)
It's worth noting that even though the tweets were posted on his official account, the statements were written in third person, so perhaps he had someone else writing for him.
FACT CHECKING / THERE HAVE BEEN INACCURATE STATEMENTS ON RECENT ARTICLES REGARDING HEDI AND THE USAGE OF THE YSL HISTORICAL LOGO
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
Slimane clarified that he used the Cassandre "YSL" logo, designed by Ukrainian-French painter and typeface designer Adolphe Mouron Cassandre in December 1961, as part of his "reform project for the house from the early days of 2012 to 2016."
FOR THE RECORD, THE USAGE OF THE CASSANDRE LOGO WAS ENTIRELY PART OF HEDI'S REFORM PROJECT FOR THE HOUSE FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF 2012 TO 2016
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
The L.A.-based creative then went on to offer several examples, which can be seen below, of how he included the "YSL" logo in his photography and designs.
HEDI PHOTOGRAPHED THE PRECIOUS ORIGINAL DRAWING, DESIGNED BY THE ARTIST CASSANDRE, AT YVES'S HOME, RUE DE BABYLONE IN NOVEMBER 2008 pic.twitter.com/bSGnCFCTgI
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
90S RECORD / HEDI HAS A HISTORY WITH USING THE YSL LOGO/ BLACK TIE 1999, HEDI DESIGNED A GIANT AND LUMINOUS YSL ON A PROTO LED STAGE SCREEN pic.twitter.com/MtSVgrerp3
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / MARCH 2012 HEDI STARTS HIS NEW DESIGN PROJECT INSTALLING A YSL LOGO FOR THE FENCE OF HIS TEMPORARY STUDIO, RUE FRANCOIS 1ER pic.twitter.com/xU1YBbBHZI
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / A PAIR OF MONUMENTAL YSL / HEDI'S INAUGURAL SHOW AND LATER, EACH OF HEDI’S SHOWS FOR SAINT LAURENT AT THE GRAND PALAIS pic.twitter.com/5cgBhYwffD
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / A PAIR OF MONUMENTAL YSL / AT EACH OF HEDI’S SHOWS FOR SAINT LAURENT AT "LE CARREAU DU TEMPLE" VENUE pic.twitter.com/YdVEAsA5CX
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / HEDI DESIGNED THE STORE ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT / HIS DESIGNS INCLUDES A PAIR OF YSL BRASS LOGOS ON THE BUILDINGS FACADES pic.twitter.com/s74y9A5hec
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD /HEDI DESIGNED AND RESTORED THE NEW COUTURE HOUSE RUE DE L’UNIVERSITE IN 2014, WITH A PAIR OF ANTIQUE BRASS YSL ON THE FACADE pic.twitter.com/6dSxtSgc2R
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
HEDI DESIGNS AND LAUNCHES AN ENTIRELY NEW LINE OF BAGS WITH A YSL HISTORICAL LOGO , WITH OR WITHOUT TASSELS, STUDS, ETC.
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
THIS YSL ACCESSORY LINE CAME IN HUNDREDS OF MATERIALS, DOZENS OF SHAPES, AND GREW UP EACH SEASON WITH HEDI'S NEW DESIGNS OF THE LOGO LINE.
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / YSL BAG LINE ON HEDI S CAMPAIGNS FOR SAINT LAURENT / PHOTOGRAPH AND STYLING HEDI S.
SACHA 2013 pic.twitter.com/zpXWJxmhId— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / YSL BAG LINE ON HEDI S CAMPAIGNS FOR SAINT LAURENT / PHOTOGRAPHS AND STYLING HEDI S.
NATHALIE 2014 pic.twitter.com/ukQVqAqEdA— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / YSL BAG LINE ON HEDI S CAMPAIGNS FOR SAINT LAURENT / PHOTOGRAPHS AND STYLING HEDI S.
VALERY AND GRACE 2014 pic.twitter.com/PvGrgcYlSl— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / YSL BAG LINE ON HEDI S CAMPAIGNS FOR SAINT LAURENT / PHOTOGRAPHS AND STYLING HEDI S.
GRACE FOR PSYCHROCK COLLECTION 2015 pic.twitter.com/mgyON7kpVs— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / YSL BAG LINE ON HEDI S CAMPAIGNS FOR SAINT LAURENT / PHOTOGRAPHS AND STYLING HEDI S.
KIKI FOR THE GLAM COLLECTION 2015 pic.twitter.com/ha5BpEWvW0— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / YSL BAG LINE ON HEDI S CAMPAIGNS FOR SAINT LAURENT / PHOTO AND STYLING HEDI S
HELENA FOR THE PARIS SESSION COLLECTION 2015 pic.twitter.com/M9ooeQjZi8— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / YSL BAG LINE ON HEDI S CAMPAIGNS FOR SAINT LAURENT / PHOTO AND STYLING HEDI S.
JULIA AND FLO FOR THE PUNK COLLECTION 2015 pic.twitter.com/kYTkDUjmFC— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / YSL BAG LINE ON HEDI S CAMPAIGNS FOR SAINT LAURENT / PHOTO AND STYLING HEDI S.
RUTH FOR THE PERMANENT COLLECTION 2015 pic.twitter.com/dfKUJR3nZh— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / DURING 4 YEARS, HEDI ALSO DESIGNED 100S OF JEWELRY + CHARM PIECES WITH YSL LOGO, BELTS, MEN’S POLO SHIRT ETC. pic.twitter.com/EMKiLgog3R
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
FOR THE RECORD / YSL CONFETTI AT THE END OF THE SURF SOUND FASHION SHOW IN JUNE 2015 pic.twitter.com/FRbgATg1XJ
— Hedi Slimane (@hedislimanetwit) October 6, 2016
It's unclear what may have prompted Slimane's Twitter tirade, but there's speculation that it was fashion critic Cathy Horyn's latest review for The Cut. She wrote: "Apparently, Vaccarello has restored the Y, which had been excised by his predecessor, Hedi Slimane, as both a throwback to the brand’s original name and an attempt to modernize it. (The truth is, despite Slimane’s efforts, most people still say YSL.)"
This isn't the first time Slimane has been upset with Horyn; he called her a "schoolyard bully" on Twitter following the critic's review of his debut collection for YSL.
Aside from tweeting up a storm, Slimane has been soaking up the L.A. lifestyle and hanging out with Mariah Carey while the fashion industry waits for his next move.