Ford Adds YSL Job to His Duties at Gucci

In another round of high fashion’s high-stakes musical chairs, Tom Ford of Gucci is taking over as the creative director of Gucci-owned Yves Saint Laurent Couture in addition to similar duties at the Italian fashion house that he helped resurrect.

Gucci issued a statement Tuesday announcing that the Texas-born Ford, 37, will “define the overall image and positioning of the YSL brand, including all product categories and communication activities, working with all the current creative teams.” The American designer, who was unavailable for comment, is the latest in a long string of designers to oversee multiple fashion labels.

Ford assumes the duties previously held by Pierre Berge, who co-founded YSL with Saint Laurent. The two sold their ready-to-wear and perfume businesses to Sanofi Beaute. In November, the Gucci Group paid $1 billion for Sanofi Beaute. Even before the sale, Ford openly discussed his desire to turn the Gucci Group into a luxury-brand conglomerate, with himself as the creative head directing other designers. Berge and the legendary Saint Laurent retain control of the separate haute couture collection.

A Gucci spokesman said that Alber Elbaz will retain his current duties as YSL’s artistic director for women’s ready-to-wear and accessories. Hedi Slimane keeps his menswear designer position at YSL also. The company isn’t currently contemplating other personnel changes, the spokesman said.

However, Women’s Wear Daily reported Tuesday that lawyers for Elbaz, who has completed two seasons of a three-year contract with YSL, were negotiating to define the terms of his position.

Since Gucci’s acquisition of YSL, there has been speculation about who might replace Ford at Gucci and Elbaz at Saint Laurent. Stella McCartney at Chloe, quirky Jeremy Scott of Paris and even Alexander McQueen at Givenchy have been mentioned as possible successors to the two designers.

Retail analyst Kurt Barnard said the ongoing consolidation of designer duties reflects a growing need for fashion houses to minimize expenses. “The big designers are big names. They make headlines, but they don’t ring the cash register like they used to,” Barnard said.

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Valli Herman-Cohen can be reached at valli.herman-cohen@latimes.com.