Parisian Boutique Colette Is the Latest Victim of Hedi Slimane’s Wrath

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Saint Laurent’s Hedi Slimane isn’t the kind of designer you’d want to mess with–he takes his designs and the control of the fashion house he helms very seriously. Who could forget that infamous open letter to Cathy Horyn?

But Slimane’s ire doesn’t stop at fashion critics–and now, Parisian boutique Colette is learning the hard way. For fall, Colette carried about 300 “Ain’t Laurent Without Yves” parody t-shirts. Slimane, unsurprisingly, wasn’t amused–and Colette creative director Sarah Andelman has reached out to WWD to go public with her side of the feud.

It turns out Slimane and YSL hit back at Colette–hard. “We have been excommunicated,” Andelman told the trade. Saint Laurent’s commercial director first contacted her requesting the removal of the shirts from the online shop. Andelmen complied, selling the remainder in the boutique. Then, on September 25, CEO Francesca Bellettini sent Andelmen a letter “accusing her of selling counterfeit products that ‘seriously damaged’ the YSL brand and confirming the end of their business relationship.”

So here’s how YSL has iced out the French boutique: First, it canceled Colette’s entire spring 2014 order totaling over $285,738 at wholesale. Andelman was also uninvited from the Saint Laurent spring fashion show on Monday. And, in a move that has us wondering, “Can they even do that?,” it’s banned Colette from selling a recent issue of indie mag Document covered by artist Joe Goode and photographed by Slimane. (Seriously, can they do that?)

The trade points out that Colette has previously sold other parody tees, like “Céline Dion” and “Homiés,” as well as those “Karl Who?” tees, without retribution from designers of those houses. And it’s not like Colette is the only boutique to stock the popular tees alongside Saint Laurent–WWD specifically names Browns, Selfridges, and Luisa Via Roma–which, so far, haven’t come forward with similar stories of being punished.

Andelman added, without naming names, that Saint Laurent isn’t the only major label that’s become more controlling–some have reportedly asked her to remove Instagram photos of their product. It seems like it’s starting to threaten the independence of boutiques to carry the product they wish to provide to their customers. And, unlike banning a critic like Horyn, cutting off relationships with valuable buyers–in 15 years Colette has bought over $3.9 million worth of YSL at wholesale–could seriously affect business.

As Andelman asks WWD, “Should we accept fashion dictatorship?”

YSL did not comment on the story.
fashionista.com
 
Don't bite the hand that feeds you, jackass!:rolleyes: Those parody shirts are really annoying. They don't do anything for the world aesthetically. Hot Topic should sell them (I kinda like Hot Topic sometimes :oops:) All it says is that you can't afford the brand but want to look like you know about fashion and are smart. That makes you a prat. Just save up for pret-a-porter or go vintage. Over hipsters. :superpuke:
 
I especially loathe those Comme des Fuckdown shirts. At least Feline was quite cute.

I do agree that it ain't Laurent without the Yves, though. I just won't wear a shirt that says that.
 
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This so ridiculous, I can't believe he severed a 15 year business relationship over soemthing so trivial. I mean, the shirt is awful (I kind of hate parody fashion shirts) but the larger issue is that YSL was once so directional, and now it seems to be desperately obsessed with maintaining the image of the brand.
 
People who wear those kind of shirts are annoying. But not as annoying as Slimane's whiny attitude. Everytime he is criticized he complains, complains, complains. Of all the innovative, creative designers who are actually doing exciting things everyone is paying attention to Hedi Slimane ruining an iconic fashion house, Kanye West ranting about how nobody likes his designs and Cara Delevingne being an attention seeker. It's always the same annoying thing. :facepalm:

Also, Saint Laurent is an overpriced eyesore.
 
damn it I closed my browser when I finished writing my response, too tired to re-write. :supermad:

I thought these shirts were clever, ironic and funny. SL needs to get over themselves.
 
Also, Saint Laurent is an overpriced eyesore.

To be honest I absolutely love his collection, I just wish it was not under Saint Laurent- the designs are great but not as an extension of YSL... I'm still so unhappy they changed it to Saint Laurent and completely redefined the brand image :( The old Yves Saint Laurent was classical, special and exceptional in every way. The fact that they kept a part of the name while abandoning completely the tradition and changing style is just awful. Under any other brand name I'd love the clothes, but right now they only annoy me because of the brand.
As for overprices... high fashion is always overpriced, whether it is Chanel, Dior or Saint Laurent.

damn it I closed my browser when I finished writing my response, too tired to re-write. :supermad:

I thought these shirts were clever, ironic and funny. SL needs to get over themselves.


Same. I even thought of buying one when I heard about it :nervous: it's quite funny and shows well what a lot of people think about the new Saint Laurent. I feel like the fact that they overreacted in such a way to a silly little joke on tshirt is only making Saint Laurent's new reputation even worse.
 
To be honest I absolutely love his collection, I just wish it was not under Saint Laurent- the designs are great but not as an extension of YSL... I'm still so unhappy they changed it to Saint Laurent and completely redefined the brand image The old Yves Saint Laurent was classical, special and exceptional in every way. The fact that they kept a part of the name while abandoning completely the tradition and changing style is just awful. Under any other brand name I'd love the clothes, but right now they only annoy me because of the brand.
As for overprices... high fashion is always overpriced, whether it is Chanel, Dior or Saint Laurent.

I guess that, yes, Hedi's collections might be appealing to the modern, younger, edgier consumer and yes of course it's expensive for the brand name, but Saint Laurent is ridiculously overpriced for its quality.

One Saint Laurent polyester jacket that is barely even wearable is worth $61,000. You could buy about 20 beautifully designed Rick Owens jackets of great quality leather with that money. :facepalm:

And let's not forget the $68,000 dull and simple floral babydoll dress that looks more Zara than YSL. What could you get instead for 68 K? 13 maxi Chanel flap bags, or 10 Christian Louboutin stilettos with embedded crystals, or 64 beautiful silk blouses from Fendi, or 5 stunning Oscar de la Renta feathered and crystal-embedded gowns, or 106 Miu Miu cashmere and silk-blend tops, or 4 of Vera Wang's most ornate and detailed wedding gowns, or 5 Gucci wool silk coats, or 85 iconic Hermès scarves...

I understand if someone likes Hedi's designs, but he charges in the price range of haute couture for some prêt-à-porter that reminds me of something you can find on the racks of Forever 21. :rolleyes:
 
I guess that, yes, Hedi's collections might be appealing to the modern, younger, edgier consumer and yes of course it's expensive for the brand name, but Saint Laurent is ridiculously overpriced for its quality.

One Saint Laurent polyester jacket that is barely even wearable is worth $61,000. You could buy about 20 beautifully designed Rick Owens jackets of great quality leather with that money. :facepalm:

And let's not forget the $68,000 dull and simple floral babydoll dress that looks more Zara than YSL. What could you get instead for 68 K? 13 maxi Chanel flap bags, or 10 Christian Louboutin stilettos with embedded crystals, or 64 beautiful silk blouses from Fendi, or 5 stunning Oscar de la Renta feathered and crystal-embedded gowns, or 106 Miu Miu cashmere and silk-blend tops, or 4 of Vera Wang's most ornate and detailed wedding gowns, or 5 Gucci wool silk coats, or 85 iconic Hermès scarves...

I understand if someone likes Hedi's designs, but he charges in the price range of haute couture for some prêt-à-porter that reminds me of something you can find on the racks of Forever 21. :rolleyes:

Where did you find these prices? I've been to SL recently and didn't see anything that crazy, I even checked website now to confirm- http://www.ysl.com/mc/shop-product/femme.
Did I miss something? :nervous:
 
Where did you find these prices? I've been to SL recently and didn't see anything that crazy, I even checked website now to confirm- http://www.ysl.com/mc/shop-product/femme.
Did I miss something? :nervous:

S/S 2013. The jacket was available online in the British store.

_ON_0025.450x675.JPG


F/W 2013. The price of the dress was reported by Style.com

_ARC0638.450x675.JPG
 
S/S 2013. The jacket was available online in the British store.

_ON_0025.450x675.JPG


F/W 2013. The price of the dress was reported by Style.com

_ARC0638.450x675.JPG

But these were very limited (one dress and persumably similar number of jackets), and they did not appear randomly in stores but were exceptional- and runway pieces always cost a lot, so this number is not really that shocking- every other HF brand does it, http://racked.com/archives/2013/05/02/behold-the-most-expensive-dress-ever-sold-on-netaporter.php , it's just they usually don't end up in stores but in the hands of private buyers and the prices are kept quiet. So this wasn't really THAT overpriced, a gross majority of his pieces available online and in shops are ok price-wise (expensive but normal for HF brands).
(sorry, spamming the thread :nervous:)
 
But these were very limited (one dress and persumably similar number of jackets), and they did not appear randomly in stores but were exceptional- and runway pieces always cost a lot, so this number is not really that shocking- every other HF brand does it, http://racked.com/archives/2013/05/02/behold-the-most-expensive-dress-ever-sold-on-netaporter.php , it's just they usually don't end up in stores but in the hands of private buyers and the prices are kept quiet. So this wasn't really THAT overpriced, a gross majority of his pieces available online and in shops are ok price-wise (expensive but normal for HF brands).
(sorry, spamming the thread :nervous:)

What I mean is that the price is way too high for the quality. Chanel and Dior might charge a lot, but that's usually justified because the materials are finer, they have a strong construction, a lot of time and money is spent designing and creating that piece. But I simply don't see that for Saint Laurent.

That Dolce & Gabbana dress is worth it imo, I personally loved F/W 2013 and the intricate details make those $50,000 a lot more reasonable than a babydoll made of mostly synthetic fabrics for $18,000 more. Prada sells coats worth $140,240, but they are made of luxurious fur, are superbly designed by one of the most iconic living designers and I bet they will last for generations to come. One of those is basically a family treasure.

I just cannot understand why put such a high price on goods that aren't of the best quality the brand provides. Saint Laurent has wool coats and jumpsuits with embedded Swarovski crystals for a bit less than $4,000 and nice silk blouses for less than $2,000 on their more commercial collection. So the fact that they charge more than $60,000 for their pieces of lower quality is above me.
 
What I mean is that the price is way too high for the quality. Chanel and Dior might charge a lot, but that's usually justified because the materials are finer, they have a strong construction, a lot of time and money is spent designing and creating that piece. But I simply don't see that for Saint Laurent.

That Dolce & Gabbana dress is worth it imo, I personally loved F/W 2013 and the intricate details make those $50,000 a lot more reasonable than a babydoll made of mostly synthetic fabrics for $18,000 more. Prada sells coats worth $140,240, but they are made of luxurious fur, are superbly designed by one of the most iconic living designers and I bet they will last for generations to come. One of those is basically a family treasure.

I just cannot understand why put such a high price on goods that aren't of the best quality the brand provides. Saint Laurent has wool coats and jumpsuits with embedded Swarovski crystals for a bit less than $4,000 and nice silk blouses for less than $2,000 on their more commercial collection. So the fact that they charge more than $60,000 for their pieces of lower quality is above me.
There must be something special about the jacket if they tagged this price on it and chose it from all the rest. Anyway, clothing prices are artificial- it doesn't matter if it's silk or polyester, because the real cost of production is by far, far lower than the price- even if it cost 200 dollars to produce it (and tbh I have yet to hear about a jacket that cost that much to produce in a factory somewhere in China or Bangladesh, where all the brands including HF produce), it doesn't really matter if the price is 1000 dollars or 2000, because it's still so much higher than the real cost, so it's all artificially created- you're overpaying anyway if that makes sense. Unless it's made out of alligator or something similar, the prices are always unjustified. It's not really about the material at the point, but about the fact there are only one or two pieces in existence and it can even be considered an investment (great excuse haha). Anyway, I get your point and I wouldn't buy it either, but if you're paying tens of thousands of dollars on a piece of clothing, it's never really about being reasonable.