Saint Laurent's New Classic with Vinnie Hacker
Proof that the algorithm works in mysterious ways, it was an unassuming TikTok of Vinnie Hacker posed nonchalantly in front of a mirror that made the aspiring model go viral. Overnight, the instant heartthrob’s audience swelled from tens of thousands to millions of fans, all entranced by his effortless curls, magnetic gaze, and relatable passion for anything video game- or anime-related. For most social media stars, the story ends there—but this particular Internet icon has made the rare leap into the world of high fashion as both model and trendsetter. Seamlessly shifting between polished elegance and statement-making street style, the 21-year-old has already garnered the attention of the industry’s most illustrious forces in fashion—including Saint Laurent.
Working with the luxury house is more than just a career milestone for the style savant, as he’d long admired the elegant arbiter of Parisian savoir-faire. “Saint Laurent was one of the first brands I came to know about, so it was a huge moment for me to be able to work with them,” he recalls. “One of my first ‘big boy’ purchases was a pair of [Saint Laurent] boots that I seriously wore every time I got the chance to for the past few years.”
The modern-day menswear maven’s style has gone through quite the evolution since his pre-fame heyday. Back then, when Hacker was just another teen kicking it in his native Seattle, his personal style consisted primarily of hand-me-downs he (fondly) compares to Adam Sandler’s ultra-casual street style—all baggy T-shirts and impossibly long athletic shorts.
Entering the modeling industry at 15 triggered a wardrobe wake-up call. Doing test shoots to figure out which style fit him best—preppy or sporty, elegant or edgy—exposed him to the transformative power of a good ‘fit. Hacker was eager to learn everything about fashion, absorbing the details at each casting and job he booked. He recalls an early career shoot for a military clothing catalog, in which he modeled the memorable combination of camo khakis and “A Cinnamon Toast Crunch-style shirt,” with the same respectful, analytical tone he uses to break down his last luxury campaign.
But while he developed an appreciation for tailoring and color theory, learned the names of creative directors and how to identify a brand from a silhouette, Hacker’s success as a model didn’t happen instantly. Struggling to make it big in the isolated Pacific-Northwest fashion scene, the then-17-year-old began posting on TikTok in 2020 with the hope of attracting viewers to his gaming streams. He couldn’t predict that his side hustle would be the very thing that launched his career.
As he reached dizzying heights of social media stardom (even doing a stint on Netflix’s buzzy Hype House docu-series), his modeling career accelerated at breakneck speed. Hacker signed with IMG, moved to LA, and shed Seattle grunge for skatepark swagger—at least, off the job. When hitting the red carpet or fronting a major campaign, the fresh face wears swanky sartorial looks like a second skin. It’s no wonder Hacker describes his first meeting with the Saint Laurent team in 2022, during men’s fashion week in Paris, as kismet. “It just felt instantly organic, working together, and staying close over these past two years,” he shares. “I've always loved their style because it felt natural to me. “
The brand’s Spring Summer ‘24 menswear collection, provocatively titled “Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves,” was a standout to fashion’s new power player. Debuting at Berlin’s famed Neue Nationalgalerie last summer, the collection took a fluid approach to various binaries—masculine and feminine, soft and hard, free-flowing and tailored—proving that in juxtaposition, differences can become strengths. Sensual draped tops in glossy silk and sheer chiffon provided a delicate contrast to structured suit jackets and perfectly proportioned straight-leg trousers. Bold drop-collars and shoulder-exposing cuts further upended the traditional connotations of what menswear should be, gesturing toward a revised canon that doesn’t abandon what’s come before, but elevates it.
Blending sharp silhouettes with surprising prints and recontextualizing feminine motifs, the collection embodies the ‘new classic’ aesthetic so deftly crafted by Saint Laurent Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello. Understandable, then, that it would resonate with the model, given his unique position as someone who can navigate the high-fashion world and be equally at home in the digital space that’s rapidly reshaping it.
“When I wear [Saint Laurent], it feels piercing,” he explains. “I feel like the [garments] embody an empowering sense of strength. And it's just very elegant.”
In other words, just what a rising talent needs to stand out from the noise—while maintaining that essential sense of mystery. Whether his millions of followers initially subscribed for the gaming, the fashion inspo, the anime and manga recs, or his impressive tattoo collection, they stay watching because they never know what Hacker will be up to next. His evolution isn’t finished yet—but if his trajectory so far is anything to go by, he’s sure to keep leveling up.
Discover Saint Laurent's Spring Summer 2024 collection here.
