Last week news broke that Hedi Slimane was launching a lawsuit against his former employer, Kering, the conglomerate which owns Saint Laurent. Yesterday, Reuters reported that he had won this lawsuit – and $13 million as a result.
The crux of this lawsuit boils down to Slimane’s contract and something called a “non-compete clause”. This clause means that he’d be prevented from working for another label for a set amount of time and remain on the payroll, and often applies when big fashion houses like Saint Laurent hire big designers like Slimane.
However when Slimane parted ways with Saint Laurent in April, the house’s owner, Kering, didn’t apply this clause and so he decided to sue. “We won,” said his lawyer, Herve Temime in a statement. “I’m happy because this is a natural outcome. The contract terms were absolutely clear.”
Kering has been ordered to pay Slimane $13 million in compensation, though apparently the company is appealing. Still – a big pot of cash could soon be heading Hedi’s way.
