Apple has poached fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent's CEO, Paul Deneve, to become VP of "special projects," a position in which he will report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook, according to Bloomberg.

Deneve, who served as YSL's CEO for two years, oversaw a 34% increase in sales last year. Deneve also previously worked for Apple as sales and marketing manager for Apple Europe from 1990 to 1997, according to his LinkedIn profile.

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Apple is characteristically silent about Deneve's exact responsibilities. However, the company is rumored to be expanding into wearable computing — particularly, a smart watch for possible release later this year. This initiative comes as archrival Google appears to have one-upped Apple in the segment with its Google Glass device.

Deneve isn't the only big-name hire to Apple. A separate Bloomberg report on Tuesday noted that that Apple is hiring Pete Distad, an SVP at Hulu, to help negotiations with media companies.

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