Why saint laurent changed name

The change marks the growing influence of the newly promoted creative director Hedi Slimane, who took over in March. The French-born designer has already moved the label's design studio from Paris to his adoptive city of Los Angeles. A spokeswoman confirmed that the famous YSL logo, which appears on handbags, lipsticks and shoes, would remain unchanged, although there is no certainty that it will continue to be used as widely.

Created by the graphic designer Cassandre to launch the fashion house in , it has become as recognisable as Chanel's interlocked Cs or Louis Vuitton's LV. The decision to cut "Yves" out of the picture provoked an outcry from fashion bloggers. Update: This is really happening!! And that's not all. Slimane's inspiration for the house's branding makeover reportedly comes from , when the company first introduced its ready-to-wear line under the name Saint Laurent Rive Gauche.

He plans to use similar fonts and wording from that time. However, the Yves, along with the iconic YSL logo, won't disappear entirely. The full Yves Saint Laurent name will continue to be used for "institutional purposes" and the logo will remain the same. So, basically the only change will be to the read-to-wear line, which will now be called Saint Laurent Paris. The new branding is expected to be introduced by the time Slimane's spring collections hit stores.

As we approach Hedi Slimane's debut show for Saint Laurent, we spoke to some branding experts to try to better understand why everyone reacted so strongly to his branding changes. The rumor turned out to be true--the new name will be Saint Laurent Paris--and as it turns out, he's totally cool with it.

Finally there's one rumor we can stop worrying about. Karl Lagerfeld has been at the helm of Chanel for 29 years without altering the initials of the house; for Slimane to make the decision to change YSL to SLP before his first collection for the label has been shown is a strong statement about regime change. Clearly, Slimane intends to do things his way. The full extent of the rebranding is not known. Hedi Slimane, who has moved the creative studio of the house from Paris to Los Angeles, is currently working on new store designs for Saint Laurent Paris, but it is thought that the YSL logo will remain on some products.

Perfumes and cosmetics bearing the name will not be altered. The new name is a bold move, but Slimane would doubtless point out that bold moves are in the very DNA of the house founded by Saint Laurent. In Yves Saint Laurent was the first couturier to launch a ready-to-wear line, a move credited with radicalising the French fashion industry.