Saint Laurent, the regeneration of haute couture.
A symbol of glamour and elegance, Saint Laurent advocates a modern yet stylish wardrobe. The DNA of the House of Saint Laurent comes from street fashion, but also the desire of Yves Saint Laurent to liberate women and allow them to embrace their sensuality. Through asymmetric cuts and an androgynous look, the Saint Laurent wardrobe boasts a trendy, rock'n'roll vibe.
A bold, avant-garde fashion house.
The legacy of Saint Laurent draws on the dark and somewhat chaotic life of the famous designer Yves Saint Laurent, who founded the couture house in 1961 with Pierre Bergé. Saint Laurent fashion completely revolutionised women's wardrobes and made tuxedos for women universally popular. Giving women the means of presenting themselves to their best advantage and helping them accept their bodies and feel free - that was the aim of the designer with the keen eye, who found inspiration on the streets. The history of the globally influential house would be marked by fifty years of iconic pieces, triumphant success and emblematic muses who adopted the values of Yves Saint Laurent (from Betty Catroux and Carla Bruni to Laetitia Casta and Catherine Deneuve). In 2012, Hedi Slimane took over as creative director of the brand and renamed the ready-to-wear line "Saint Laurent", retaining the legendary acronym YSL, created by Cassandre.
Saint Laurent finishes the label's outfits off with accessories which have become flagship pieces. From corset belts with buckles and mini shearling bags with chains to very stylish shoes with the YSL initials adorning the high heels, each and every accessory is designed to make women feel amazing and their silhouette look superb.
YSL reaches a new turning point.
The arrival of Hedi Slimane marked the rebirth of the House of Yves Saint Laurent. A new era had dawned for the House which seized the opportunity of bringing back its line of haute couture. More rock'n'roll collections, a younger target audience, less-than-conventional muses like Marilyn Manson and Courtney Love: Hedi Slimane appropriated the legendary codes of Yves Saint Laurent for himself and updated them to suit current trends. The ambitious designer pulled it off hands down: Pierre Bergé himself, after the first Saint Laurent runway show, admitted that the original style was still there and that the Yves Saint Laurent DNA had been retained. In 2016, another chapter in the story began when the creative director Hedi Slimane moved on, leaving the group in the capable hands of Anthony Vaccarello. As soon as he came on the scene, the Belgian designer took a controversial decision to delete all the photos from the Hedi Slimane era from YSL's Instagram account. It was a radical decision which marked another turning point for Saint Laurent. Anthony Vaccarello give the brand a new, less strait-laced, identity and implemented a much bolder, at times hard-hitting, advertising campaign to channel the philosophy of the new Saint Laurent era.
Yves Saint Laurent died in 2002, but his legacy continues. From Yves Saint Laurent to Saint Laurent, the reputation of the Parisian fashion house has not diminished and its iconic pieces are as successful as ever: