Designer Walk

Looks like the models are not the only ones taking a walk down runways this time at Fashion Week!  Designers are also walking the walk for their final times! Yes, it's true designers are getting dumped left and right this year. Leave it to the fashion industry to reveal huge news in the midst of their busiest time.

If you have been keeping up with WWD then it's no surprise to you that creative director Raf Simons at Jil Sander is taking his final bow this Fashion Week, but he is not alone.  Yves Saint Laurent also answered rumors this week stating that their creative director Stefano Pilati will also be taking his final bow at their March 5th show in Paris.  

Yet the chaos doesn't end their as these fashion houses seem to be playing a game of musical chairs with each other!  By that we mean they are designer swapping! Let's break this down for you...

Raf Simons last show for Jil Sander had a standing ovation for his final bow!

First let's start off with Raf Simons for Jil Sanders.  This could have been one of the more shocking designer breakup because of all that he has done for the fashion house!  Raf Simons is at the top of his game.  He entered Jil Sander when they were in distress and turned it around creatively.

Some looks from Jil Sander Fall 2012 Collection designed by Raf Simons.

According to WWD's Bridget Foley he not only gave the house "relevancy again but also made it essential."  Simons had people interested in Jil Sander Collections again, so this rumored firing is very shocking!  But this may not be so bad for him. Now rumors are that he may take Stefano Pilati's place at YSL or even a spot at Dior!

Jil Sander is taking back creative director position at her fashion house, but can she live up to the level that Raf Simons took it to?  After all she has been absent from the position for eight years now.  In a interview with WWD earlier she had reassured the curious by stating:

"I never tried to be provocative, but I never indulged in nostalgia, either. Fashion is experimentation, and if you keep the sophistication, it can also be eccentric. You have to break rules, if there is a good 

reason. And now is the right time to be daring, there are few new ideas."

Now for YSL.  Apparently Stefano Pilati has also been kicked to the curb. After years of rumors that Pilati has not been getting along with the famous fashion house, he is finally leaving.  This is probably not surprising to most.  Executives have been constantly ignoring Stefano and were displeased with his work. Saint Laurent himself even stated in 2005:

"Some of what he does is good. Some of it is not."

That's not exactly what you want YSL to say to your designs.  But despite those rumors, Pilati's designs for YSL have had a lot of positive feedback in the industry.  He is also taking his leave very graceful.  He recently released this about his departure:

"(I am) incredibly proud of what I have accomplished with my teams over the past decade at Saint Laurent...I exit the house with fierce conviction in all that we have achieved and deep gratitude to those who have supported me along the way...I wish the maison Yves Saint Laurent and its new creative director the very best for the future."

Stefano Pilati

Pilati definitely handled this in a classy manor! Now there is talks of who will be replacing him. Raf Simons is said to have been rumored to go to YSL for a while now, but he may have some competition as WWD released a new person in the running.  That's right a former creative director for Dior Hommes Hedi Slimaine is also in the running for the position. 

Nothing is confirmed yet until the end of Paris Fashion Week. The suspense is killing us though.  One thing is for sure is that these designers need to get things straight! Make sure to keep reading to find out who will end up where! xx