‘Emilia Pérez’ Is Just His Side Hustle – Meet the Fashion Designer Conquering Hollywood

Fashion designers dig deep, trolling personal experience to envision their collections. Film producers serve the vision of others: directors, financiers, producers — most likely, all of the above. These two very different skill sets can rarely be found in the same person. Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello, 43, is exceptional at both. So much so, he’ll have the singular experience of walking the red carpet — in an impeccable tux, naturally — at the Academy Awards as an Oscar-nominated producer alongside stars wearing his clothes. With Emilia Pérez up for 13 statuettes (having won multiple honors already), his brand’s nascent film studio, Saint Laurent Productions, is enjoying quite the early outing.

“Yes, I do look forward to attending the Oscars,” Vaccarello pronounces from Paris, putting finishing touches on Saint Laurent’s women’s Fall 2025 collection, showing March 11. “I’m often in Los Angeles, but this will be my first time at the actual Academy Awards ceremony. I’ve been to some of the parties, of course. But it’s the first time a non-English film earned so many Oscar nominations. Thirteen — that’s exceptional for any producer, whether a film veteran or someone relatively new to the industry, like me.”

This is coming from a man known as notoriously modest; still, who can blame him for crowing? Tom Ford may have written and directed two movies that earned its stars an Oscar nom each, and Chanel, Givenchy and Armani may have costumed a few films, but as Vaccarello puts it: “This is also the first time a brand — Saint Laurent Productions and I — are recognized in this way, is it not? Whatever happens that night, it’s already quite meaningful to be part of a history-making project,” he says, choking up a little.

In May at Cannes, Saint Laurent Productions debuted, in addition to Emilia Pérez, two other auteur-driven films: Paolo Sorrentino’s lush Parthenope and David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds (out April 18). When Emilia picked up the festival’s Jury Prize, Vaccarello shared the triumph with director Jacques Audiard and the female stars — who also were collectively awarded Cannes’ best actress prize.

“I found it rewarding to bet on something that feels right, even if it seemed unusual,” says Vaccarello. “And bet on it I did.” The designer, who visited the set as part of his burgeoning role, says the script “surprised me on the page, but I trusted it because of its team. If it’s risky, that’s what a producer willingly signs up for.”

To be fair, this is not entirely his first movie rodeo. As soon as the former Versus Versace designer arrived at the iconic French brand in 2016, he launched film collabs with Gaspar Noé and Bret Easton Ellis. “These were smaller, fashion-focused projects; now we’re telling universal stories with a wider set of directors. I’ve always loved movies,” he says, citing Fassbinder’s Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant and Pasolini’s Mamma Rosa in particular. “The great minds that made them inspired me immensely. Producing a film by David Cronenberg is a way to acknowledge how much his work shaped me,” he adds, noting that his company also produced the Abel Ferrara documentary Sportin’ Life and the Pedro Almodóvar short Strange Way of Life. “I wanted first to pay tribute to established directors, then, as time goes by, I’ll work with young filmmakers, help them bring their distinct voices to light.”

And how’s this for directorial reverence? Vaccarello featured his gray-haired cinematic heroes in a fashion ad. Saint Laurent’s 2023 campaign — usually a showcase for such brand fans as Zoe Saldaña, Zoë Kravitz and Chloë Sevigny — featured Almodóvar, Cronenberg, Ferrara and Jim Jarmusch. “They embody a certain character trait that’s interesting to me, a facet of the complex Saint Laurent individual,” he explains.

The Saint Laurent producer also creates all the costumes for his films: “Directors’ visions vary from scene to scene. That’s critical for me. We come up with designs according to needs; they become another character.” Selena Gomez’s big fur coat in Emilia enhanced her married-to-the-mob-boss diva, as Saldaña’s sleek red power suit did for her singing and dancing her way through Oscar-nominated original song “El Mal.”

What do his collections have in common with his costumes? “Confidence,” states Vaccarello, known for quiet confidence himself. “Confident sensuality: a longtime hallmark of Saint Laurent clothes. The confidence of the Saint Laurent universe serves a specific function here: helping the actor feel confident in their role. Ultimately, both cases are about who you want to be.”

Now he’s besieged with scripts and pitches, “all of which we’ll carefully make sure align with the editorial aesthetic of Saint Laurent Productions,” he says, or more like whispers. Vaccarello, soft of voice and short on ego, nicknamed the “anti-diva” by Vogue, breaks the mold of most fashion designers — not to mention Hollywood creatives — possessing bold personalities, from Donatella Versace to Ryan Murphy. “That’s just how I am,” he murmurs. “I prefer to let my creativity tell the story.” Or trio of stories: his clothes, films and costumes. True to form, after the Oscars Vaccarello doesn’t plan to be on a carpet anytime soon. “It’s not my nature. If another film we co-produce is up for 13 Oscars, of course I’ll be there to celebrate with cast and crew who worked so hard on it. Otherwise, you won’t see me on the red carpet — what for?” But Paris runways? Bien sûr.

This story appeared in the Feb. 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.