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"What was just a rumor this weekend about Hedi Slimane taking the reins at Yves Saint Laurent may not be just a rumor for much longer. The luxury fashion house announced this morning that current creative head Stefano Pilati will leave following his autumn-winter show in Paris on March 5th. The official statement from Yves Saint Laurent reads:Yves Saint Laurent today announces the departure of Creative Director Stefano Pilati, who since 2004 has stood at the creative helm of the maison and has been instrumental in the rebuilding and repositioning of an iconic French luxury brand. Under Stefano&amp;amp;#8217;s guiding vision and artistic direction, the house has become a contemporary reference in high fashion. Stefano will show his final collection for Fall/Winter 2012-2013 womenswear on March 5, 2012 in Paris. In the coming weeks, the maison will announce a new Creative Director. &amp;quot;We are all at Yves Saint Laurent grateful to Stefano for his important achievements in advancing the mission and success of this historic and treasured fashion house,&amp;quot; said Paul Deneve, the CEO of YSL. This weekend, AFP broke the unconfirmed news that Hedi Slimane, the former menswear director of Yves Saint Laurent and the former creative head of Dior Homme, had inked a deal to take over creative direction at YSL. This is the latest in a string of buzz around designer musical-chairs&amp;amp;#8212;involving some of the industry&amp;#x27;s greatest talents. There is no official word yet on Slimane&amp;#x27;s imminent ascent to the Saint Laurent throne. &amp;quot;We are not commenting beyond the release at this time,&amp;quot; says the email from Yves Saint Laurent HQ. THE BACKSTORY... Report: Hedi Slimane to Helm Yves Saint Laurent. Photo Credit: Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/dressed/2012/02/its-official-stefano-pilati-wi>