In 1962, Yves Saint Laurent founds the YSL label with business partner Pierre Bergé. Saint Laurent (a former assistant of Christian Dior) infuses his women’s line with items taken from the male wardrobe – notably the blazer, tuxedo, and pant suit.
Saint Laurent achieves notoriety as the first French haute couturier to reveal a full pret-a-porter line. Among his customers, the iconic Catherine Deneuve.
In 1999, Gucci buys the YSL brand and assigns Creative Director Tom Ford to design the ready-to-wear collection. As of today, YSL’s ready-to-wear line is produced by Stefano Pilati, under The House of Gucci.