Those who know me well probably appreciate my somewhat recent “re-infatuation” with Saint Laurent, which has seemingly been re-born since Hedi Slimane took over as the luxury brand’s creative director in 2012. At first, I was wary about the decision to veer from the company’s namesake; dropping the “Yves” from the label’s name infuriated me to a degree. But as I saw what enfolded since, I’ve became a believer in all things “Hedi.”

In the three years that Slimane has taken the reigns over the iconic brand, he has seen the company through a re-branding (no easy feat), doubled annual revenue, and has shaped a specific focus around the company’s product offering. It also helps that Slimane brings a fresh take on style with him, having been with the brand previously, and then doing some work at Dior before returning to Saint Laurent.

Looks from Slimane’s Fall 2015 Menswear Line for Saint Laurent (View images from the line at style.com.)

Slimane is one of several high-octane talents that have transitioned classic and storied labels into progressive versions of themselves, appealing to the new school of fashionati. In a similar beat, Riccardo Tisci has turned tables at Givenchy, and Raf Simons has made waves at both Jil Sander (before Sander returned to helm her label once again) and Dior (after John Galliano was shockingly ousted in 2011). Designers like Tisci, Simons and Slimane himself have tapped into an energy that has breathed a renewed sense of life to their respective fashion houses.

Robin Mellery-Pratt takes a deeper look into the magic that Hedi Slimane is spinning at Saint Laurent for The Business of Fashion. You can read the interesting narrative here.