Yves Saint-Laurent (born August 1, 1936 in Oran, Algeria) is a French fashion designer.

Early career

Yves Saint Laurent left his home at the age of 17 to work for the designer Christian Dior. Following the death of Dior in 1957, Saint-Laurent at the age of 21 was put in charge of effort of saving the Dior house from financial ruin. Saint-Laurent's designs together, with Pierre Berg's financial acumen, helped save the firm from financial ruin.

Military service

Shortly after this success he was conscripted to serve in the French army during the Algerian war of independence. The stress of the tumultous war led him to institutionalized in a French mental hospital, where he underwent psychiatric treatment, including electroshock therapy.

The House of Yves Saint-Laurent

In 1961 he split with Dior and started his own label with the now-famous initials of YSL. During the 1960s and 1970s the firm popularized fashion trends such as the beatnik look, tweed suits, tight pants and tall, thigh-high boots.

In 1993, the Saint Laurent fashion house was sold to the pharmaceuticals company Sanofi for approximately $600,000,000. In 1999 Gucci bought the YSL brand and Tom Ford designed the ready-to-wear collection while Saint-Laurent designed the haute couture collection. Since his retirement in 1998 Saint-Laurent has become increasingly reclusive and has spent a much of his time at his house in Marrakech, Morocco.

In 2002, dogged by poor health, criticisms of YSL designs, and problems with lead designer Tom Ford, Saint-Laurent and Gucci closed the illustrious design house of YSL. While the house no longer exists the brand still survives through its parent company Gucci.

See also

• Couturier
• Tom Ford
• Gucci
• LVMH

References

• Pierre Berge (1997). Yves Saint Laurent: The Universe of Fashion. Rizzoli. ISBN 0789300672
• Alice Rawsthorn (1996). Yves Saint Laurent Nan A. Talese. ISBN 0385476450

• Infoplease article (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0900189.html)
• Biography of Yves Saint Laurent (http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/new_site/biography.php?id=931&showgroup=1087)
• Yves Saint Laurent shuts its doors (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2383729.stm)—BBC World October 31, 2002
• All About Yves (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june02/yves.html)— Jim Leherer News Hour January 16,2002 By Jessica Moore
• Yves Saint Laurent announces retirement  (http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/01/07/ysl.retires/)—CNN January 7, 2002
• All About Yves: As the incomparable Yves Saint Laurent celebrates his 40th anniversary as a coutourier, the world salutes his genius. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1998/int/980803/the_arts.fashion.all_abo12.html)—Julie K.L. Dam, Time Magazine, August 3 1998.

External links

• Gucci Corporate Site (http://www.gucci.com.html)
• Yves Saint Laurent Web Site (http://www.ysl.com.html)