Yves Saint Laurent, whose full name was Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, was born on August 1, 1936, in Oran, Algeria, which at the time was a French colony. He had two younger sisters, Michèle and Brigitte. From an early age, he was deeply influenced by his mother’s passion for fashion. In 1953, he moved to Paris, and at the age of 18, he won a fashion design competition with his eveningwear creations, attracting the attention of Christian Dior, whom he soon began assisting.

Yves Saint Laurent received formal training at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, the institution responsible for regulating haute couture in Paris and educating its workforce. His early collections featuring flared skirts and tailored jackets caused a sensation and helped define fashion in the 1950s. Following the death of Christian Dior in 1957, he was promoted to head designer at the house of Christian Dior, a remarkable achievement at just 21 years of age.

In 1959, Yves Saint Laurent designed the wedding dress of Farah Diba, who would later become the wife of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. In 1960, during the Algerian War of Independence, he was conscripted into the French Army. Within 20 days, he suffered severe psychological distress and was hospitalized, where he underwent electroshock therapy. During this time, he learned that he had been dismissed from Dior. After leaving the hospital in November 1960, he sued Dior for breach of contract and won the case.

In 1962, Yves Saint Laurent founded his own fashion house together with his partner Pierre Bergé. Although they separated amicably in 1976, they remained lifelong friends and business partners. Pierre Bergé served as CEO of Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture until its closure in 2002. Saint Laurent’s designs reflected a woman who was increasingly confident in public life—aristocratic yet sensual. His pantsuits, ethnic influences, and bold silhouettes revolutionized the fashion world.

The first customer of his ready-to-wear boutique was Catherine Deneuve. Yves Saint Laurent popularized ready-to-wear fashion and transformed women’s wardrobes with pantsuits, safari jackets, sweaters, and tailored separates, fundamentally changing how women dressed.

Targeted by ridicule during his school years due to his homosexuality, Yves Saint Laurent spent much of his life battling psychological and physical illnesses and appeared in public only rarely. He dressed some of the world’s most famous women, including Catherine Deneuve and Grace Kelly. However, in the late 1990s, the fashion house’s profits declined, and in 2002 the ateliers closed. Officially retired, he withdrew to a quiet life in Normandy with his dog Moujik.

In 2001, Yves Saint Laurent was awarded the rank of Commander of the Légion d’Honneur by French President Jacques Chirac. In 2007, he was further honored by President Nicolas Sarkozy with the title of Grand Officier de la Légion d’Honneur.

Yves Saint Laurent was often described as an anarchist of fashion. In a 2002 interview, he explained his mission to liberate women through fashion:

“I tell myself that I created the wardrobe of the modern woman. I tell myself that this is how I contributed to the transformation of my era. What I did with clothing is not as important as what was done in music, architecture, painting, or other arts. But still, it has value. I wanted to put myself at the service of women—of their bodies, their attitudes toward life. I wanted to accompany them in the great movement of liberation of the last century.”

Alexander Shulman, editor of Vogue, argued that Saint Laurent democratized fashion, saying that he brought it closer to people—young, modern, and connected to pop and film stars, allowing new generations to relate to it. Nancy Pilcher, also of Vogue, noted that his garments were cut so perfectly that models looked flawless on the runway, yet the same elegance was felt by women wearing them themselves.

Yves Saint Laurent died on June 1, 2008, in Paris at the age of 72 from brain cancer. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the gardens of Marrakech. After his death, the brand’s creative director Hedi Slimane renamed the house Saint Laurent Paris, although the YSL logo continues to be used on perfumes, bags, and accessories. In later years, several films were produced depicting his life and legacy.

Source: Biyografiler.com