Yves Saint Laurent left his mark in the fashion world and helped shape fashion as we know it today. Besides his amazing talent, the designer got a lot of attention for his private life too, and not always for happy reasons. His story is subject to many movies and there are many interesting details about him. Today we bring you 5 interesting facts about Yves Saint Laurent that you probably don’t know about.
He was born in French occupied Algeria and started his interest in fashion at a very young age. He made dresses for his mother and sisters, but that caused him some troubles in school as he got bullied. He was always a gentle person and while serving army in his native country he even suffered a nervous breakdown caused by stress. Unfortunately, struggling with mental problems and addictions will follow him for the rest of his life.
At the age of 17 his mom took him to Paris, France where he met the editor-in-chief of French Vogue, Michael DeBrunhoff. After winning a design contest organised by International Wool Secretariat, he was noticed by Christian Dior that hired him. However, when Yves returned from the army, he discovered that he was fired which resulted in him staring his own label.
His impact on fashion was huge. Yves is famous for Le Smoking and other creations that were mixing elements of male and female fashion. Just remember Bianca Jagger that married Mick in a white tux that he made. If Coco Chanel freed women, we can say YSL empowered them.
He was the first couturier to launch a ready-to-wear line back in 1966. For him fashion was not just for the selected few, and in his democratisation he was also one of the first ones to use models of different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds.
Besides having a complicated relationship with Dior, Yves also had a life long rivalry with Karl Lagerfeld. It started when he won over Karl at that design competition we previously mentioned. It also didn’t help that Yves had an affair with Lagerfeld’s muse and boyfriend at the time, Jacques de Bascher. Sometimes fashion world turns into a soap opera.
There is much more to add about Yves Saint Laurent, but we encourage you to discover more through movies and documentaries. What are your favourite things about this designer?
An interesting read about such an iconic person. <3
Velveteencockroach
What I especially love about Yves Saint Laurent is that he got the models of other races into the fashion industry. He was a real artist. And I loved also Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech which he had reconstructed. Also his dresses inspired by Mondrian were unforgettable.
Daniela
http://www.smellofjasmine.com/