As soon as Yves Saint Laurent confirmed that they would not renew Stefano Pilati's contract at the house, Hedi Slimane's name was instantly thrown into the hat of designers who could replace him. Last night, the speculation came to an end as YSL's parent company PPR confirmed the reports saying that an announement would be made today. The move marks Slimane's return to the brand after serving as the head of menswear from 1996 to 2000 before taking the helm at Dior Homme until 2007.

UPDATE: The official announcement is in.

‘Slimane will assume total creative responsibility for the brand image and all its collections,’ the release explained. It was quickly apparent that Slimane was brought on board to help start a new chapter at the brand. ‘Hedi Slimane’s exceptional talent and understanding of the spirit of Yves Saint Laurent heralds a promising new chapter in the story of the maison’, Paul Deneve, Chief Executive Officer of Yves Saint Laurent, said and this was echoed by François-Henri Pinault, PPR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: “As one of the most important French fashion houses, Yves Saint Laurent today possesses formidable potential, which I am confident will be successfully harnessed and revealed through the vision of Hedi Slimane.”