A Brief History of Yves Saint Laurent
The Prince of The Left Bank
Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent was born on August 1st in the then-occupied French colony of Algeria. He was the son of Lucienne and Charles Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, who managed an insurance company and owned a chain of cinemas. Yves Saint-Laurent was interested in fashion from an early age. He constructed an “Illustre Petit Theatre,” a veritable miniature stage on which cardboard characters performed in little couture costumes designed by the young Saint-Laurent. He had a vivid ambition to head a fashion house, creating the name "Yves Mathieu Saint Laurent Haute Couture Place Vendôme." The designs involved cut-out silhouettes of models from Vogue, Jardin des Modes, and Paris Match, dressed in an entire paper-constructed wardrobe decorated with gouache, ink, or watercolor.
Yves Saint-Laurent was described as shy and sensitive throughout his childhood. Later in life, he remarked, “I feel as if I am split in two, and I will always be that way.” He had a profound taste for literature, wrote poems, and was a talented illustrator.
A strong admiration for Marcel Proust's work would fascinate him his whole life, influencing countless collections and becoming a part of the Maison's identity long after his death.
In September 1954, Saint-Laurent moved to Paris and enrolled in the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. One year prior at 17, the designer took home two prizes from the International Wool Secretariat competition, judged by Hubert Givenchy and Christian Dior, among others. He entered the same competition again, collecting the first and third prizes in the ‘Dress’ category. This effectively launched his career, as his continued correspondence with Vogue Paris editor Michel de Brunhoff led to Saint-Laurent's assistantship to Christian Dior. The sketches exchanged within this correspondence showed a close resemblance to that of Christian Dior in the eyes of de Brunhoff, who promptly arranged a meeting between the two designers. Christian Dior was remarkably impressed and hired Yves Saint-Larent on the spot.
After the death of Christian Dior in 1957, Yves Saint-Laurent was appointed as the successor per Dior’s posthumous wish. The twenty-one-year-old designer made history as the youngest couturier to run a house, the success and importance of Maison Diors notwithstanding. At the time, the French house exported nearly 50% of haute couture and represented eight companies and sixteen firms established on five continents, turning over two billion Francs.
On February 3rd, 1958, Yves Saint-Laurent met Pierre Bergé at a dinner party hosted by Harper's Bazaar. Bergé, who was then in a relationship with guest Bernard Buffet, fell hopelessly in love with Yves Saint-Laurent that night.
“I left him to be with Yves Saint Laurent, with whom I lived for fifty years. … How could I completely change in an instant? How could I forget, cross out with a single stroke, the eight years I had spent with Bernard? … All of a sudden the unexpected happened. Maybe that unexpected thing was love at first sight.”
– Pierre Bergé
After designing six collections for Dior, Saint-Laurent was drafted for military service in Algeria and was hospitalized for depression soon after. In 1960, The House of Dior decided to fire him and chose Marc Bohan as his replacement. Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint-Laurent then partnered to create the young designer's eponymous label only one year later.
Pierre Berge sold his apartment and signed a contract with American investor J. Mack Robinson, the first American to Parisian Fashion House. The Maison Yves-Saint Laurent finally opened its doors on December 4, 1961. The designer employed graphic artist Adolphe Jean Marie Mouron, also used by Christian Dior, to design the Maisons logo. Mouron imagined the monogram in the image of Saint-Laurent Himself, whose three initials intertwined with simplicity in an elegant and modern manner. The Maison's first-ever dress, “00001,” was delivered to post-war socialite Mrs. Patricia Lopez Willshaw.
On January 29, La Maison Yves-Saint Laurent debuted its first collection on 30 Bis rue Spontini. The collection was met with rave reviews, with comparisons made to Chanel. The Maison’s success only took off from that point, quickly becoming one of the most prominent labels in Paris. During his years as Creative Director, he was remarked as reclusive and did not participate in many events or interviews. He remained in this position until 2002 when Hedi Slimanne took full control of the Ready-to-Wear line. After Saint-Laurent's departure, the house’s haute couture section closed its doors out of respect.
“I am proud that women all over the world wear pantsuits, tuxedoes, pea coats, and trench coats. I tell myself that I have created the contemporary woman’s wardrobe, that I have contributed to changing my era. … I want to thank the women who have worn my clothes, those who are famous and those who are not, who were loyal and who gave me so much joy. … Today I have decided to bid farewell to this career that I have loved so dearly. … I want to thank you, those who are here and those who are not, for having always been there over the years. For having supported, understood, and loved me. I will not forget you.”
Yves Saint-Laurent (Museé Yves Saint-Laurent Paris)
Yves Saint-Laurent lived the last six years of his life in Marrakech, Morocco until his death on June 1st, 2008.