Paris
France
Address
7 Avenue George V
Paris, 75008
France
FMD-ID
BR67
Phone
+33 01 56 62 64 00 Fax +33 01 47 23 69 73

About

founded by

Yves Saint Lauren

about

Yves Saint Laurent was founded by designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, his Pierre Berg�, in 1962.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the firm popularized fashion trends such as the beatnik look, safari jackets for men and women, tight pants and tall, thigh-high boots, including the creation of arguably the most famous classic tuxedo suit for women in 1966, Le Smoking suit. He also started mainstreaming the idea of wearing silhouettes from the 1920s, '30s and '40s.

Yves Saint Laurent was the first Couture house to launch, in 1966, the modern concept of luxury women�s pr�t-�-porter, in a collection called �Rive Gauche�. It was followed in 1969 by a �Rive Gauche men�s ready-to-wear line. The Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche boutiques were soon opened throughout the world, allowing fashion-conscious working individuals to wear the Yves Saint Laurent designs.

He was also the first designer to use black models in his runway shows. Among St. Laurent's muses were Loulou de La Falaise, the daughter of a French marquis and an Anglo-Irish fashion model, Betty Catroux, the half-Brazilian daughter of an American diplomat and wife of a French decorator, Talitha Pol-Getty, who died of drug overdose in 1971, and Catherine Deneuve, the iconic French actress. Ambassador to the couturier during the late 1970s and early 80s was London socialite millionairess Diane Boulting-Casserley Vandelli, making the brand ever more popular amongst the European jet-set and upper classes.

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

In 1999, the Gucci Group (the luxury division of the PPR Group) bought the YSL brand and Tom Ford designed the ready-to-wear collection while Saint-Laurent designed the haute couture collection.

The following year, dogged by years of poor health, drug abuse, depression, alcoholism, criticisms of YSL designs, Saint-Laurent closed the illustrious couture house of YSL. While the house no longer exists, the brand still survives through its parent company Gucci.

The pr�t-�-porter line is still being produced under the management of Val�rie Hermann, appointed CEO in 2005, and Stefano Pilati as Creative Director after Tom Ford retired in 2004.

Since 2004, the brand has renewed the exceptional legacy of its founder while bringing a contemporary approach to its collections, which combine elegance, top-quality fabrics, refined and discreet but

recognizable details.

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.

It was followed in 1969 by a �Rive Gauche men�s ready-to-wear line. The Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche boutiques were soon opened throughout the world, allowing fashion-conscious working individuals to wear the Yves Saint Laurent designs.

The Look

One of Yves St. Laurent's greatest talents is colour - from his Mondrian-inspired dresses to his Ballet Russes collections in the 70's. Some say he is the supreme fashion colourist of this century, unrivalled by any other designer. His colour schemes even clash elegantly. He repeats what Chanel said, "Fashions change, Style remains." His dream is to give women the foundation of a classic wardrobe, which, by escaping trends, gives them more confidence in themselves. His Smoking (tuxedo) jacket was a shock when it was introduced in 1966. A woman was banned in the 60's from dining at the Plaza hotel in New York, because she was wearing a YSL pantsuit. His pants and jackets became a statement for a new generation of women, and he said "I want to shock people, force them to think." The secret to his style (or styles because there are many) is that he creates clothes that make a woman look great and feel the height of elegance.

Who Wears It

Everyone from long-standing fans like YSL muse Betty Catroux and Catherine Deneuve, to actresses like Renee Zellweger, Julianne Moore and Chloe Sevigny.

Perfumes

1964 Y (W)
1971 Yves St. Laurent pour Homme
1971 Rive Gauche
1977 Opium (W)
1981 Kouros for men
1983 Paris
1988 Jazz for men
1990 Live Jazz(W)
1990 Eau de Sport (M)
1993 Champagne (changed to Yvresse in 1996)
1993 Kouros Fraicheur
1993 Jazz Prestige (M)
1995 Rive Gauche Fraicheur (W)
1996 Yvress Legere (W)
1996 Opium for men
1997 In Love Again (W)
1998 Live Jazz (M)
1999 Vice Versa (W)
2000 Baby Doll (W)
2000 Body Kouros (men)
2001 Nu (W)
2002 Paris L'Eau de Printemps (W)
2002 Paris Premieres Roses (W)
2002 M-7 (M)(The 7th mens fragrance)
2002 Opium Eau d'Ete (W)
2002 Kouros Eau d'Ete (M)
2003 Paris Baby Doll Light (W)
2003 Paris Baby Doll Summer (W)
2003 Nu (M)
2003 Rive Gauche Eau de Toilette (re-issue) (W)
2003 Opium Satin (W)
2003 Kouros Cologne Sport (M)
2003 Rive Gauche pour Homme (M)
2003 Paris Premieres Roses(W)
2003 Opium Secret de Parfum (W)
2003 Rive Gauche Intense (W)
2004 Paris Roses des Bois (W)
2004 Cinema (W)
2004 Kouros Cologne Sport Eau d'Ete Summer Fragrance (M)
2004 M7 Fresh (M)
2004 Rive Gauche Light (W)
2005 Baby Doll Candy Pink (W)
2005 Yvresse Legere (W) re-issue
2005 Cinema Gold (W)
2005 In Love Again Edition Fleur De La Passion (W)
2005 In Love Again Jasmin Etoile (W)
2005 Opium Fleur du Shanghai (W)
2005 Paris Roses Enchantees (W)
2006 Opium Fleur Imperial Eau d'Orient (W)
2006 Baby Doll Lucky Game (W)
2006 Cinema Festival (W)
2006 Cinema Festival d`Ete (W)
2006 Kouros Eau d`Ete 2006 (M)
2006 L�Homme (M)
2006 Opium Pour Homme Eau d'Orient (M)
2006 Paris Roses des Verges (W)
2007 L'Homme Eau d'Et� (M)
2007 Elle (W)
2007 Baby Doll Magic (W)
2007 Baby Doll Music Box Collector 2007 (W)
2007 Baiser de Cinema (W)
2007 Paris Jardins Romantiques (W)
2007 Paris Nuit de Fete (W)
2007 Kouros Tatoo (W)
2007 Opium L�gendes de Chine eau de Parfum (W)
2007 Opium Orchid�e de Chine (W)
2007 Opium Orient Extreme (W)
2007 Opium Pour Homme Eau d'Orient 2007 (M)
2007 Young Sexy Lovely (W)
2007 Young Sexy Lovely Collector Intense 2007 (W)
2008 Cinema Scenario d`Ete (W)
2008 Elle Intense Eau de Parfum (W)
2008 Elle Summer Fragrance 2008 (W)
2008 Kouros Summer Edition 2008 (M)
2008 L`Homme Eau d`Ete (M)
2008 L`Homme Yves Saint Laurent design by Jean Nouvel (M)
2008 Opium pour Femme Poesie de Chine (W)
2008 Opium pour Homme Poesie de Chine (M)
2008 Paris Pont des Amours (W)
2008 Young Sexy Lovely Spring / Summer Collection 2008 (W)

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