Since Hedi Slimane was appointed creative director of Saint Laurent in 2012, the media has spent much time questioning his way of reinterpreting the French maison. So much so, that his photography has been overlooked.
But it's precisely this talent - his aptitude for capturing and romanticising the spirit of youth - that is on display at his first Parisian solo exhibition, titled "Sonic", which takes place at the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent in Paris until January 11.
Slimane's fashion and photographs seem to be cut from the same cloth: he is dedicated to the glorification of trans-generational youth and to the sublimation of subcultures and their icons. Like a teenager who doesn't pay attention to the expectations of his parents, Slimane seemingly couldn't care less about the opinion of his critics.
At Dior Homme, where he was at the creative helm until 2007, he celebrated heroin chic, imposing an emaciated menswear look. Shredded skinny jeans, slim ties and sharp tuxedos were his signature style, a look which eventually had an impact beyond seasonal fashions. His black-and-white photographs convey the same feeling, one ruled by an innocent yet untamable stubbornness.
The pictures guide us through London's and California's alternative music scenes, with portraits of rockers shot in a raw documentary style. The spectacle was further defined by a loud noise in the exhibition space, although discrete, whistling, sound of halogen lamps might have been an unintended sound installation.
"It is about the most tenuous sign; a reduction of the subject to its core," says Slimane, referring to the meaning of the title, "Sonic".