Explaining Hedi Slimane
By: Carter Alexander
If you spend any amount of time in fashion discourse online or in person, you might have heard of the “hedi boy.” The hedi boy represents a shift in fashion to a style that was popular in the late 90s and early 2000s. This style originates from the French fashion designer and creative, Hedi Slimane. Slimane was the creative director for Dior Homme from 2000 until 2007. Slimane was also creative director for Yves Saint Laurent and Celine respectively. His work with Dior is mostly what the “hedi boy” aesthetic centers around though. John Galliano (who became Maison Margiela’s creative director in 2014 after Dior fired him in 2011 after a video of him drunkenly shouting antisemitic slurs at Italian women surfaced) was Dior’s creative director in 2000. However, Dior was searching for someone to breathe life into the menswear line. Patrick Lavoix had been leading the menswear line since ‘92, but creatively there was not much to speak of. Slimane entered into the role and revolutionized Dior menswear. Characterized by a dark, sensual, anarchic rock aesthetic, Slimane’s visual style was easy to identify, especially compared to other high fashion designers– no one was creating outfits like him. The list of people Slimane dressed is a who’s who of some of the biggest names in the fine and creative arts, Daft Punk (consisting of the legendary frenchmen Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de-homem christo)3, Beck, David Bowie, Jack White, Mick Jagger; he even designed Brad Pitt’s suit for his marriage to Jennifer Aniston.
The hedi boy aesthetic follows Slimane’s style in a 1:1 fashion except for some extra modern spins on it, like adding a biker chain on a pair of jeans. First rule: skinny or straight fitting pants are the only options. More often than not, skinnies are usually chosen over straight fitting pants, but occasionally you will see them. Second rule: boots or oxfords are superior to all other kinds of footwear. Third rule: big jackets or coats no matter the scenario. From Daft Punk’s jackets to Yves Saint Laurent robes, Slimane’s outerwear is iconic and remains what his style does best. Slimane’s silhouettes always follow these three rules, especially in high fashion.
Daft Punk makes the perfect case study for this rockstar aesthetic. The french duo had always dressed in a noteworthy way, when they burst onto the electronic scene in 1997 with their album Homework they gained notoriety for wearing carnival masks. As they developed sonically through the years, they also developed stylistically. When Daft Punk crafted their most popular album Random Access Memories, they teamed up with their fellow frenchmen Hedi Slimane for styling them for their tours and promotional materials. This blend of punk and high fashion created an aesthetic that Daft Punk is still known for over a decade later. Some of their most recognizable looks include the ‘Le Smoking’ Yves Saint Laurent jacket that Thomas Bangalter wore and the classy tuxedos that both Bangalter and Guy-Manuel wore for the 2014 grammys.