Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent

He's considered by many to be the greatest designer of the last century, changing the way women dressed and creating a role model business for the fashion industry.

Yves Saint Laurent

He died on June 1, 2008 at 11:10 p.m. Paris time from the effects of brain cancer, at his residence in Paris. According to The New York Times, a few days before he died, Saint Laurent and Bergé were joined in a same-sex civil union known as a "civil pact of solidarity" in France.

One of the greatest fashion designers ever has passed away six years after his last “historical” Haute Couture runway show, and the world of fashion worldwide is in mourning.

Born on: 01-08-1936
Birth place: Oran, Algeria

The son of an insurance company manager, Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent left home at the age of 17 to work for the French designer Christian Dior. He believes that:

"Dressing is a way of life."

“Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

“I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.”

After winning first prize in the International Wool Secretariat contest for his cocktail dress design in 1954, Yves Saint Laurent landed the job of Haute Couture designer when Dior died in 1957. Saint Laurent got his big break when he was only 17 years old. The shy young designer began to work for fashion legend, Christian Dior, and by the time he was 21 years old, Saint Laurent was in charge of Dior's empire.

In 1960, he was conscripted into the French Army. His spell in the service was short-lived however, and he was transferred into a French mental hospital suffering from stress, where he underwent psychiatric treatment, including electroshock therapy, for a nervous breakdown.

In 1962, in the wake of his nervous breakdown, Saint Laurent was released from Dior and started his own label, YSL, financed by his companion, Pierre Bergé. The Rive Gauche boutiques for women were established in 1966, and men's wear followed in the 1970s.

- His muse has long been Catherine Deneuve.

- YSL's partner, Pierre Berge, was fined 1 million Francs for insider-trading in 1996. In 1992, he sold Yves Saint Laurent shares right before alarming economic figures about the company were published.

- Although his sexuality was hardly a secret in the fashion world, YSL did not publicly acknowledge his homosexuality until 1991, in an interview in the French newspaper, Le Figaro.

'YSL' is perhaps most famous for "Le Smoking" tuxedo jacket, see-through blouses, peasant blouses, bolero jackets, pantsuits and smocks. By feminising the basic shapes of the male wardrobe, YSL set new standards for world fashion. He not only adapted the male tuxedo for women, but also safari jackets, pea jackets and flying suits.

An important source of inspiration for both his clothing and his choice of runway models was his childhood in Africa. He was also the first major designer to use models from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds.

His 1971 radical ‘40s’ collection shocked critics, as did the advertising campaign for the first YSL men’s fragrance, ‘Pour Homme’ which featured Yves himself posing nude for his own perfume ads. This was shocking to many people. He did it to raise this question: Why is it more socially acceptable when a woman poses nude for an advertisement than when a man does?

In 1977, YSL launched the very popular ‘Opium’ perfume.

In 1993, the Saint Laurent fashion house was sold to the pharmaceuticals company, Sanofi, for approximately $600,000,000.

YSL held a 300-model fashion extravaganza at the final match of the 1998 World Cup football tournament in the Stade de France, and the following year he was awarded a 'Lifetime Achievement’ award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Since his retirement, Saint Laurent had become increasingly reclusive and spent much of his time at his house in Marrakech, Morocco.

YSL- No more

The Gucci Group, which acquired the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house in 1999, said the designer's death "leaves a great emptiness but also a sublime inheritance."
"This genius of creation shattered the codes to create French elegance which today makes Paris a grand capital of fashion," Gucci said.

President Nicolas Sarkozy praised Saint Laurent for "putting his mark on a half-century of creation, in luxury as well as ready-to-wear." First lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who graced Saint Laurent's runway during her modeling career, said she had a "heavy heart" on learning of his death.

Today Yves Saint Laurent's collections include women's and men's ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, small leather goods, jewellery, scarves, ties and eyewear. They are designed for both modern women who have a keen sense of freedom and follow their instincts with assurance, captivating others with their elegance, as well as men who prefer a nonconformist look and assert the different facets of their personality in a modern and sensitive way.

The Yves Saint Laurent network currently has 63 directly-operated stores, including flagship stores in Paris, New York, London, Milan, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The brand is also present in the most prestigious multi-brand boutiques and department stores in the world.