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Yves Saint Laurent (fashion house) facts for kids

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Yves Saint Laurent SAS
Trade name
 Saint Laurent
Subsidiary (SAS)
Industry Fashion
Founded 1962; 63 years ago (1962) in Paris
Founder Yves Saint Laurent
Pierre Bergé
Headquarters
  • 37 Rue de Bellechasse
  • 75007 Paris
  • France
48°51′25″N 2°19′18″E / 48.8569469°N 2.3216936°E / 48.8569469; 2.3216936
Key people
Products
  • Ready-to-wear
  • leather accessories
  • footwear
Revenue €3.2 billion (2023)
Parent Kering

Yves Saint Laurent SAS, often called Saint Laurent or YSL, is a famous French luxury fashion company. It was started in 1962 by designer Yves Saint Laurent and his business partner, Pierre Bergé. The company is known for its fancy haute couture (custom-made clothes), ready-to-wear (clothes sold in stores), leather bags, and shoes. YSL also has a beauty line, YSL Beauty, which sells makeup and perfumes.

History of Saint Laurent

The company was created in 1962 by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. The well-known YSL logos were designed in 1963 by A. M. Cassandre.

Fashion Styles and Innovations

During the 1960s and 1970s, YSL helped make certain styles popular. These included the "beatnik" look, safari jackets, tight pants, and tall boots. In 1966, YSL introduced Le Smoking, which was a tuxedo suit designed for women. This was a big step in fashion!

YSL was also one of the first to make "ready-to-wear" clothes popular. This meant stylish clothes that were sold in stores, not just custom-made. They launched their Rive Gauche line in 1966. YSL's designs often took ideas from traditional Chinese clothing and Pop art. They also found inspiration in the Ballets Russes and the artist Pablo Picasso.

In 1978, Saint Laurent started the trend of broad, shoulder-padded styles. This look became very popular in the 1980s. Many famous people, like Catherine Deneuve, were muses (inspirations) for Saint Laurent.

Company Changes and New Leadership

The brand grew in the 1980s and early 1990s. They added perfumes for men and women, building on their makeup line from 1978. In 1993, the company was sold to a pharmaceuticals company called Sanofi.

In 1997, Pierre Bergé brought Hedi Slimane in to lead the collections. Slimane later left to work for Dior Homme. In 1999, a company called Kering bought YSL. They hired Tom Ford to design the ready-to-wear clothes. Yves Saint Laurent himself continued to design the haute couture. Tom Ford's designs for YSL were even named "Dress of the Year" in 2001 and 2004.

In 2002, Yves Saint Laurent closed the haute couture part of the company. Tom Ford left in 2004, and Stefano Pilati became the new creative director. Yves Saint Laurent passed away in 2008.

In 2012, Kering announced that Hedi Slimane would return to YSL. He took over from Stefano Pilati as creative director. Slimane decided to bring back Yves Saint Laurent's haute couture line. He also moved the design studio to Los Angeles.

When Slimane returned, he made a big change. The ready-to-wear line was renamed "Saint Laurent," dropping "Yves" from its name. The full "Yves Saint Laurent" name and the YSL logo stayed for accessories and the beauty products. This name change was inspired by the original "Saint Laurent Rive Gauche" line.

In 2016, Slimane left Saint Laurent. Anthony Vaccarello became the new creative director. He still holds this position today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vaccarello found a way to sell handbags at lower prices to reach more customers. In 2017, he chose Charlotte Gainsbourg as the face of a campaign. In 2020, Rosé, a singer, became the first global ambassador for Yves Saint Laurent.

Saint Laurent Productions

In April 2023, Saint Laurent started a new company called Saint Laurent Productions. This company makes art films. The costumes for these films will be designed by Saint Laurent's creative director, Anthony Vaccarello.

The first films from this company were two short movies. They were Strange Way of Life by Pedro Almodóvar and Trailer Of The Film That Will Never Exist: Phony Wars by Jean-Luc Godard. Both of these films were shown at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The company is also working on a new film by David Cronenberg called The Shrouds.

Yves Saint Laurent Archive Gallery
  • Yves Saint Laurent Mondrian dress, 1965, exhibited at the Rijksmuseum (cropped)

    Hommage à Piet Mondrian, A/W 1965

  • 1968-1970 Yves Saint Laurent designs; (Musée national d'art moderne, Paris)

    Silk jumpsuit, A/W 1970; wool dress, A/W 1968; silk dress, A/W 1969

  • 1969 Yves Saint Laurent beaded evening dress

    Beaded silk evening dress, A/W 1969

  • 1971 evening gown by Yves Saint Laurent for Jane Birkin with 1966 Le Smoking suit (musée d'Orsay, Paris)

    Evening gown designed for Jane Birkin, 1971

  • 1974 film costume by Yves Saint Laurent for Anny Duperey with 1935 "Les Sports" bas-relief & 1930 vases by Jean Dunand (Musée d'art moderne de Paris)

    Designed for Anny Duperey in 1974 film Stavisky

  • 1975 Yves Saint Laurent evening dress (musée d'art moderne de Paris)

    Evening dress, A/W 1975

  • Three Yves Saint Laurent dresses inspired by Henri Matisse (musée d'art moderne de Paris)

    Inspired by Henri Matisse: S/S 1982; S/S 1970; A/W 1981

  • 1980 Yves Saint Laurent RIve Gauche black satin pantsuit, gold guipure lace trim 01

    Black satin pantsuit, ca. 1980

  • Yves Saint Laurent et Fernand Léger (Musée national d'art moderne, Paris) - Flickr - dalbera

    Hommage à Fernand Léger, A/W 1981

  • Toiles de la maison Yves Saint Laurent (Musée Yves Saint Laurent, Paris)

    Hommage à Georges Braque, S/S 1988

  • 1988 Yves Saint Laurent Jacket, "Homage to Vincent van Gogh" (Musée Yves Saint Laurent, Paris)

    Hommage à Vincent van Gogh, S/S 1988

  • Yves Saint Laurent et Raoul Dufy (musée d'art moderne de Paris)

    A/W 1992

  • 2001 Yves Saint Laurent dresses inspired by Pierre Bonnard, with Bonnard paintings (musée d'art moderne de Paris) - 51867104302

    Dresses inspired by Pierre Bonnard, S/S 2001

  • Fall 2004 Tom Ford evening dress for Yves Saint Laurent, printed silk 02

    A/W 2004 by Tom Ford, Fashion Museum's Dress of the Year

Images for kids

  • YSL Logo

    Logo of YSL from 1962 to 2012

  • Saint Laurent Paris SVG Logo

    Logo of Saint Laurent Paris since 2012

  • 1981 Yves Saint Laurent ensemble inspired by Henri Matisse's 1940 painting "Blouse Roumaine"

    Yves Saint Laurent dress (Autumn/Winter 1981) inspired by Henri Matisse's La Blouse Roumaine (1940)

  • 1965 Mondrian dress by Yves Saint Laurent et Pier Mondrian (Musée national d'art moderne, Paris)

    YSL dress "Hommage à Piet Mondrian" (Autumn/Winter 1965) on left, with inspiration Composition in red, blue and white II by Piet Mondrian on right

  • Mondriaanmode uit Parijs, japonnen gemaakt door Yves St. Laurent , de modellen i, Bestanddeelnr 918-6690

    Models in cocktail dresses (Autumn/Winter 1965) by Yves Saint Laurent inspired by Piet Mondrian art, 1966

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