Yves Saint Laurent was born on 1 August 1936 in Oran, Algeria. He was a French designer, one of the biggest names in fashion history.
In 1953, Saint Laurent submitted three of his sketches to a competition for young designers organised by the International Wool Secretariat, where he won first place.
His illustrious career followed, after meeting the then editor-in-chief of Vogue, who also introduced him to Dior.
Although Dior recognized his talent immediately, Saint Laurent spent his first year at the House of Dior doing mundane tasks such as studio decorating and accessory design. Eventually, he was allowed to submit sketches for the sewing collection.
Every season that passed, more of his sketches were accepted by Dior.
In August 1957, Dior met with Saint Laurent’s mother to tell her that she had chosen him to succeed him as designer.
His mother later said she was confused, as Dior was only 52 years old at the time.
Both she and her son were surprised when in October that year Dior died at a spa in northern Italy of a massive heart attack.
So in 1957, Saint Laurent found himself at the age of 21 the chief designer of the House of Dior. His spring 1958 collection certainly saved the business from financial ruin.
In 1985, Caroline Rennolds Milbank wrote about him: “The most famous and important designer of the last twenty-five years, Yves Saint Laurent, was the driving force behind the rise of haute couture from the ashes of the sixties.”
Yves Saint Laurent was the first to create the tuxedo for women and the first designer to use models from other countries in his shows.
