Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent put women in tuxedos and opened a ready-to-wear shop on the Left Bank, and his house still trades on that nerve.

Big name·Global·Founded 1961·Members

The Saint Laurent logo, a trademark of Saint Laurent. Shown to identify the house.

At a glance

Founded: 4 December 1961, when the couture house opened in Paris.⁸
Founded by: Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé, who raised the money.⁸²
Home: Paris, at 37-39 rue de Bellechasse.¹
Owned by: Kering, which bought the house in 1999.²
What it sells: Ready-to-wear and leather goods for women and men, with the beauty line owned by L'Oréal.²
Size: Revenue of about €2.6 billion in 2025, down 8%, from more than 300 stores.³¹

How it got here

1961

1 of 3

Backed by an American investor, J. Mack Robinson, the couture house opens on 4 December, and its first gown, numbered 00001, goes to Patricia Lopez-Willshaw.⁸

Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris: December 4, 1961: Creation of the Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture H… ↗

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Sources for what is above

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