Hedi Slimane's Lawyer Makes First Official Statement Since the Designer's Departure From Saint Laurent

In a newly-released statement, former Saint Laurent creative and image director Hedi Slimane’s legal defense has put several rumors to rest, while pouring fuel on others.

Firstly, the designer’s camp has chosen to keep mum on the reasons behind his departure from the French House, as per an agreement with SL’s parent company, the Kering Group. They also quashed the widely-reported rumors that Hedi had been courting investment, whether in Paris or Doha (where Hedi hasn’t even visited, according to the statement), for a namesake label.

Slimane has, however, retained the legal counsel of Hervé Temime, a criminal defense attorney, throughout these events. As The Fashion Law notes, which is interesting because the official statement does nothing to quell rumors that Slimane has been fielding offers from other fashion brands. Moreover, if Slimane signed a non-competitive agreement with the Kering Group and then signed with a competitor, he would require criminal defense.

To add further fuel to the fire, current Chanel boss Karl Lagerfeld chose to wear a custom sequined Saint Laurent jacket for his victory lap at Chanel’s resort show in Cuba. We know this because @choupettesdiary — aka the official Instagram of Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette — mentioned it in a caption:

The saga continues.

You can read Slimane’s official statement below.