1961

A Prodigy Claims His Throne

The story begins with Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, a shy young man from Oran, Algeria, who arrived in Paris at 17 and stunned the fashion world by winning the International Wool Secretariat design competition. By 21, he was already the creative director of the House of Dior.

In 1961, backed by his lifelong partner Pierre Bergé, the 25-year-old Yves founded his own couture house at 30 Rue Spontini in Paris. The debut collection was met with thunderous applause — critics declared a new king had been crowned. The interlocking YSL monogram, designed by Cassandre, became the brand's eternal seal of Parisian sophistication.

1960s – 1970s

Dressing the Revolution

Yves Saint Laurent did not merely follow fashion — he shattered its rules. He looked at the world around him and translated its upheavals into garments that liberated women forever.

• Le Smoking (1966): The first tuxedo designed for women. A radical act of gender defiance that gave women the power of masculine tailoring — and became the most iconic suit in fashion history.
• The Mondrian Dress (1965): A shift dress transformed into a walking Piet Mondrian painting, merging fine art and fashion into one seamless statement.
• The Safari Jacket (1968): Military utility reimagined as haute chic, proving that adventure and elegance are not opposites.
• Rive Gauche (1966): The first luxury prêt-à-porter boutique, democratizing haute couture and bringing Saint Laurent to the streets of the Left Bank.

"Fashion fades, style is eternal." — Yves Saint Laurent

1990s – 2000s

Glamour, Excess & Farewell

The final decade of Yves Saint Laurent's active career saw the house oscillate between reverence and reinvention. In 1999, the Gucci Group (now Kering) acquired YSL, and Tom Ford was appointed to lead the ready-to-wear line.

Ford injected the house with hyper-sensual glamour — razor-sharp tailoring, plunging necklines, and an unapologetic sexuality that electrified the fashion world. Meanwhile, Yves himself presented his final couture collection in January 2002, closing the show in tears alongside his beloved Catherine Deneuve and Laetitia Casta.

The house then passed through the hands of Stefano Pilati and, most transformatively, Hedi Slimane (2012–2016), who controversially rebranded the ready-to-wear line as "Saint Laurent" and redefined the brand with a raw, rock-and-roll, Los Angeles-inflected edge.

Today

Saint Laurent: The Eternal Silhouette

Under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello (since 2016), Saint Laurent has distilled its identity to its most potent essence: sharp shoulders, sculptural tailoring, and an aura of effortless Parisian cool.

Vaccarello's Saint Laurent is a study in controlled power — the exaggerated-shoulder blazer, the liquid-silk slip dress, the stiletto that clicks against marble floors at midnight. The brand has become a cultural force beyond fashion, with the Saint Laurent Rive Droite concept stores blending retail, art, and nightlife.

As a cornerstone of the Kering luxury group, Saint Laurent today stands as proof that Yves' original revolution never ended. The tuxedo still fits. The silhouette still cuts. The name still commands the room.

"I have often said that I would have liked to have invented blue jeans. They have everything: modesty, simplicity, and an understated allure." — Yves Saint Laurent