The Intriguing Life of Yves Saint Laurent

With over four decades of undisputed success, the Yves Saint Laurent brand is one that is synonymous with elegance, class and innovation. With beginnings in haute couture, the Yves Saint Laurent name has now blossomed into a full portfolio of fashion and accessory lines including ready-to-wear men and women’s fashion, sunglasses, cosmetics, handbags, shoes and Yves Saint Laurent perfume.

Born to Design

Yves Saint Laurent was born and raised in Oran, Algeria with his two sisters by his father (a prominent business man) and his mother, who has been credited with passing on her love of fashion to Yves. His parents were well known and respected amongst the elite in Oran, and Yves grew up as an upper class child. At the age of 15, his fashion sketches were noticed by the editor-in-chief of Vogue after entering the International Wool Secretariat competition, and Yves was encouraged to study at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture in Paris. Yves was only there for a few months before quitting, but after his fashion sketches won first prize in the International Wool Secretariat competition later that year, he was hired on the spot by Christian Dior.

The Difficult Years

Saint Laurent worked very closely with Dior up until his untimely death in 1957. Earlier that year, Dior had named Yves as his successor, so at the tender age of 21 he found himself as the head designer of Dior. His debut collection the Ligne Trapeze (featuring the iconic trapeze dress) won rave reviews, and Saint Laurent steadily built up his design reputation working for Dior.
In 1960, Yves was enlisted to fight in the French army and after severe hazing from fellow soldiers, suffered a nervous breakdown and was sent to a mental hospital. It was there that he found out that the house of Dior had fired him (due to his beatnik inspired collection that flopped earlier that year) and went on to endure being given large doses of sedatives and electroshock therapy at the notoriously sadistic hospital.
When he was finally released, Yves returned back to Paris to start his own fashion house with the financial backing and support of his partner, Pierre Berge, in 1962. The house of Yves Saint Laurent astounded the fashion elite with innovations such as le Smoking (the iconic smoking suit for women), the reefer coat, the peasant top, sheer blouses and the jumpsuit amongst others.

Sweet Success

As YSL’s success grew, the house ventured into new territory by designing classic fragrances such as Y (1964), Pour Homme (1971), Rive Gauche(1971), Opium (1977), Kouros (1981), Paris (1983). Newer offerings such as M7 and Nu were released when Tom Ford stepped in as head designer for YSL in 1999, but nothing comparable to the iconic fragrances that were first released by Saint Laurent himself.
After being awarded the title of Commander in the French Legion of Honor by President Jacques Chirac, Yves Saint Laurent distanced himself from his fashion empire and lived a reclusive life at his homes in Morocco and Normandy with his partner Berge. Yves Saint Laurent passed away in 2008 at his home in Paris, and his funeral was attended by the political, fashion and media elite. One of the most intriguing and successful designers of the past century, the Yves Saint Laurent name will always represent true fashion innovation.