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So the new branding strategy may not have been such a bad idea–but could the change cause confusion?

Rosenbluth doesn’t think so. “People who care will learn a little bit more about it and understand the stories that they’re telling and because they’ve been out there in the press and they have been telling they’re story, I think it’s almost hard to miss because the two seem inextricably linked.”

Neither does Tungate. “[Saint Laurent] seems to be a brand that has been through several evolutions already and I think as long as the name ‘Saint Laurent’ is there, I dont think it’s that confusing.”

In fact, to bring in a younger customer, Tungate says the rebranding was “worth a try.”

Coolness and youth do seem to be in Slimane’s DNA. “With Dior Homme, he managed to get it off the backs of businesssmen and onto the backs of rock stars stars and I think that’s what he wants to do with Saint Laurent,” Tungate said. “He takes great pictures of rock stars in Los Angeles; he’s interested in independent actors. Those are the people he’s interested in co-opting as ambassadors for the brand.”