Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, known as Yves Saint Laurent, is regarded as one of the greatest names in fashion history. He founded the luxury fashion house Saint Larent Paris in conjunction with his partner Pierre Berge. In 1985, Caroline Rennolds Milbank wrote, "The most consistently celebrated and influencial designer of the past twenty-five years, Yves Saint laurent can be credited with both spurring the couture's rise from its sixties ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable". He is also credited with having introduced the tuxedo suit for women and known for his use of non-European cultural references, and non-white models.
In 1957, Saint Laurent found himself at the age of 21, the head designer of the House of Christian Dior. His Spring 1958 collection almost certainly saved the enterprise from financial ruin, the straight line of his creations, a softer version of Dior's new look, catapulted him to international stardom with what would later be known as the 'trapeze dress'. Others included in the collection were dresses with narrower shoulders and flared gently at the bottom. At this time he shortened his surname to Saint Laurent because the international press found his hyphenated triple name difficult to spell.
He was the first French couturier to come out with a full pret-a-porter line. The first of the company's Rive Gauche stores, which sold the ready-to-wear line, opened on the Rue De Tournon in Paris on 26th September 1966. The premier was attended by Yves Saint Laurent and the first customer was Catherine Deneuve.
In 2012, PPR announced that Hedi Slimane would replace Stefano Pilati at the helm of the brand, Pilati succeeded Saint Laurent when he retired from the fashion world. With cult designer Slimane now taking the creative lead, French superbrand Saint Laurent has set out to return to its original essence as he reinterprets the house's luxuriously elegant DNA with a pure new attitude.
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