Yves Saint Laurent, the French fashion prodigy and legendary designer, died Sunday of a brain tumor in Paris. Saint Laurent was 71 years old.
Saint Laurent was one of the most influential and long-lasting designers of the 20th century, bringing women's haute fashion into style. He was considered the last of a generation that included Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, helping to make Paris the fashion capital of the world.
Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent was born Aug. 1, 1936, in Oran, Algeria. In 1954, Saint Laurent enrolled at the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, but he received his first break in 1955 when he met Dior, considered to be the best designer in the world at the time. Dior was so impressed with Saint Laurent's talent that he hired him on the spot.
When Dior died in 1957, St. Laurent, then 21 years old, was named the head designer for the House of Dior. At the time, House of Dior was responsible for 50 percent of all French fashion exports.
Saint Laurent opened his own haute couture house with Pierre Berge in 1962 and began a chain of Rive Gauche ready-to-wear boutiques.
In 1983, he became the first living designer to have an exhibit dedicated to him at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was awarded the French Legion of Honor, the Legion d'Honneur, in 1985.
St. Laurent retired in 2002 at age 65, closing his Paris-based haute couture house. His ready-to-wear label, Rive Gauche, which was sold to Gucci in 1999 for $70 million cash and royalties, still has boutiques throughout the world. His line, Yves Saint Laurent, is located at ysl.com.
St. Laurent is survived by his mother and two sisters. The funeral will take place on June 6 in Paris.
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