Maggot Brain – #YSL23 by Saint Laurent Denim

There’s always something very satisfying about finding new ways to combine different things to create something completely fresh and unique.  It’s just that not many of us are in a position to do it for a living.  But then there are only a few of us who could get it right much more often than not to be able to sustain an entire company.  Those are the people worth their salaries.  To which we say: hello, Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent.  First there was the new Travis Scott menswear campaign for SS19 earlier this year that included video clips of Scott in Saint Laurent backed by Iggy Pop’s The Passenger on the soundtrack.  Rap God Travis Scott, Saint Laurent and Iggy Pop?  You’d really have to be at the top of your game to know ahead of time just how well that combination would work.

And now we have the latest campaign for Saint Laurent Denim’s new #YSL23 collection.  First things first, having Gary Sorrenti looking through the lens is always going to be a good start.  Next, a cast of striking non-typical models like Kaia Gerber and Dylan Christensen wearing the hell out of #YSL23?  Check.  But if you had shown us the amazing video clips in fluid slow motion that came from the shoot – but without the soundtrack – there’s no way Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain would even have made into the top 50 of our possibilities.   Not because Maggot Brian isn’t a masterpiece of guitar solo-ing (Eddie Hazel, take a bow) and not because Funkadelic aren’t a legendary P-Funk band (George Clinton, take a bow).  But if you said “P-Funk” to anyone in fashion today then you’re probably looking at someone whose parents haven’t even heard of it.   Yet once you’ve really taken the time to look through the new collection all elements quickly start to sharpen into focus.  Once you let your eyes settle on it properly the clothes begin to fit together in your head like outfits Tom Petty or Patti Smith might have worn to the recording studio while finishing up their first albums.  Effortlessly cool, ruffles a few feathers when needed and totally authentic (the ‘Miles’ boots are currently bringing the house down here).

We’ve mentioned it before.  It’s these small and pleasantly surprising little embellishments at the edges that makes Vaccarello such an exciting addition to the roster of great Saint Laurent creative directors.  These are the things that not everyone will immediately pick up on.  There’s a cultural knowledge (that’s apparently far deeper than even we realised) that comes with a fashion knowledge built on sculpting the perfect silhouette – a talent Vaccarello learned studying sculpture at the prestigious L’École de la Cambre in Brussels – that continues to see Saint Laurent forge its own unique path in the arena of global luxury fashion.

The only question that remains is: where to next?

To see more from the new #YSL23 Denim collection click the banner at the top of the page.

To see our last feature on Saint Laurent click here.