Haute Couture | Yves Saint Laurent, Fashion House, French Heritage (2024)

FAQs

Haute Couture | Yves Saint Laurent, Fashion House, French Heritage? ›

Yves Saint Laurent (also known as Saint Laurent) is a French luxury fashion house founded by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. Founded in 1961, it has been considered one of the world's most prominent fashion houses and is known for its modern and iconic pieces, such as its tuxedo jackets for women.

Saint Laurent was born on 1 August 1936, in Oran, Algeria, to French parents (Pieds-Noirs), Charles and Lucienne Andrée Mathieu-Saint-Laurent. He grew up in a villa by the Mediterranean with his two younger sisters, Michèle and Brigitte.

History. The eponymous brand was established in 1962 by designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The brand's logos were designed in 1963 by A. M. Cassandre. During the 1960s and 1970s, YSL popularized the beatnik look, safari jackets, tight pants, and thigh-high boots.

The origins of Haute Couture are attributed to Charles Frederick Worth who in 1858 founded the first true Couture House at number 7, rue de la Paix in Paris.

Kering

Kering Holland NV

Yves Saint Laurent (August 1, 1936–June 1, 2008) was a French fashion designer born in French Algeria. In 1953 he moved to Paris after winning a competition for young fashion designers and quickly found work with Christian Dior.

YSL and Saint Laurent are the same brand. YSL, short for Yves Saint Laurent, was the original name of the iconic fashion house founded by designer Yves Saint Laurent. In 2012, the brand's creative director Hedi Slimane rebranded it as Saint Laurent Paris, using a more modern and minimalistic approach.

A global Luxury group, Kering manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods and Jewelry: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Ginori 1735 as well as Kering Eyewear and Kering Beauté.

Undoubtedly, Saint Laurent was the first to completely merge art and fashion and put art on the runway. The creative created countless garments which featured existing art pieces in themselves. One of the most famous examples of this is the Mondrian co*cktail dress, part of YSL's 1965 Autumn/Winter collection.

For Yves Saint Laurent, he created a monogram of three simple intertwined initials, which was elegant and modern just like the young man.

What is the difference between couture and haute couture? ›

What is the difference between couture and haute couture? Couture is any fashion piece that's handmade and one-of-a-kind. However, haute couture is high fashion clothing or also known as high-dressing made by atelier / fashion houses regulated by the French government.

The literal translation means high sewing or dressmaking, but it is generally referred to as 'high fashion'. Haute couture is as big as fashion gets. It is the highest quality clothing on the planet, created for only a handful of clients. Each piece is made-to-measure and perfectly matched to the client's shape.

In his four years in control of Saint Laurent, Slimane completely transformed the label into the powerhouse it is today. He changed the look, he changed the business, and he even changed the name, dropping “Yves” from the title. What Slimane did was to refocus the brand on highly commercial products.

YSL is owned by the French multinational luxury group Kering (formerly known as PPR, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute). Kering is one of the world's leading luxury goods conglomerates, and it owns several high-end fashion brands, including Gucci, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Bottega Veneta, in addition to YSL.

At the end of 2008, the cosmetics division of YSL was sold to L'Oreal. YSL fragrances were previously produced by Gucci Group (since 1999), who launched the highly successful L'Homme (2006) and La Nuit de L'Homme (2009).

Yves Saint Laurent bags are manufactured in Florence, Italy with high-quality materials. Therefore, although the brand itself is headquartered in Paris, France, its bags have a Made in Italy tag — any bag that claims to be made elsewhere is a fake.

Kering (French: [kɛːʁiŋ]) is a French-based multinational corporation specializing in luxury goods. It owns the brands Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Creed and Alexander McQueen.

Genuine YSL bags usually have “made in Italy” engraved below the serial number in all lower-case or all upper-case letters. The engraving and stitching around a tag on the real thing should be crisp and clean.