The French group Kering announced new appointments at its subsidiary Yves Saint Laurent, effective September 1st. Hedi Slimane, the brand's creative director, will oversee all of the brand's projects, in addition to his previous responsibilities of brand image and creation. François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Kering and chairman of Yves Saint Laurent, explained the reason for this appointment, citing the brand's further growth since Hedi Slimane was appointed creative director last year. "Hedi has dramatically positioned the brand to a new position, just as he did when founder Yves Saint Laurent launched his ready-to-wear line in 1966. He proposes designs that are relevant to today's times, while remaining true to the brand's origins," he said. The company also announced that Francesca Bellettini, currently Executive Director of Bottega Veneta, will be the new CEO. After graduating from Bocconi University in Milan, Bellettini began her career as an investment banker in London. She worked for Goldman Sachs International and Deutsche Morgan Grenfell before moving to the fashion industry. She held senior positions at Helmut Lang, Prada, and Gucci, before joining Bottega Veneta in November 2008 as Global Merchandising Director. Two years later, she was promoted to Worldwide Merchandising and Communications Director, overseeing all areas of merchandising, visual display, and communications.

Current Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve will move to Apple as a vice president. Deneve was previously an Apple employee.