FRANCE. Yves Saint Laurent, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fashion designers of the 20th century, has died at his home in Paris, aged 71.
His legacy, and loss, were eloquently summed up by François and François-Henri Pinault, of PPR, which acquired the Yves Saint Laurent house (via Gucci Group) in 1999.
“With [Saint Laurent’s death], French fashion and indeed the world, lose a genius,” they acknowledged, describing the designer as a singular couturier who carried a revolutionary vision of fashion to the highest level.
“Yves Saint Laurent at once maintained traditions of excellence and invented new codes of French elegance,” the company said in a statement. “More than a great designer, in reality an immense artist has left us. Elevating fashion to a new form of art, Yves Saint Laurent expressed the evolution and the revolutions of society through his creations.
“Yves Saint Laurent leaves us with a heritage for which we are forever indebted to him. The PPR Group and all who work at Yves Saint Laurent are imprinted with the spirit of his creation and invention. And each individual therein will endeavour to stay faithful to the style and grandeur of his legacy.”
LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault also paid tribute to Saint Laurent, declaring: “Monsieur Saint-Laurent was the embodiment of French Haute Couture for half a century. He designed for a woman who reconciled the two fundamental truths which always guided him in his personal life: freedom and elegance.
“I will never forget his shining debut at Christian Dior where his talents were first unveiled. His humility was the mark of his genius”.
Saint Laurent left his mark not just on the world of fashion, but on the beauty business too, thanks to iconic fragrance creations such as Opium and Paris.
Note: It was announced earlier this year that the L’Oréal Group would purchase YSL Beauté from PPR, for the sum of €1,150 million.
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