Competing with the likes of the fashion houses of Dior, Chanel, Gucci, and a few others, it is not difficult to sometimes overlook Yves Saint Laurent (YSL). However, YSL was at a time a dominating force who refused to be bound by social and cultural norms; from the 300 models who presented a retrospective of all YSL creations at the 1998 World Cup final to celebrate his 40 years in fashion, to being the first designer to use ethnic models at his runway shows and reference other cultures in his work, Yves Saint Laurent was truly a creative genius far ahead of his time, during which he was arguably the industry's greatest designer.
In 1985, Caroline Rennolds Milbank, wrote, “The most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past twenty-five years, Yves Saint Laurent can be credited with both spurring the couture’s rise from its sixties ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable”. In today's world however, Saint Laurent's empire that he built has expanded it's reach into many products. The company produces menswear, fur, jewellery, perfumes and a range of accessories, all distributed worldwide. At which it could be argued that YSL is more readily available to the common person, however it should not be forgotten that it is a high end luxury brand.
They have many beautiful and well stitched handbags on their site, with a hefty price tag to remind you who they are and that there is a price for quality. Nonetheless, the brand has still managed to do more than double its sales revenue since the 2012 appointment of Hedi Slimane. The annual sales revenue in 2011 was €353 million, which soared to €707 million in 2014. The reason behind this success isn't simply because of the employment of one man, nor because of the power of the name, but because of its vast appeal. YSL appeals to far more than just the fashion world, and all their categories are desirable and over performing. With many leading fashion houses and luxury designers, you won't find the ready-to-wear being as strong or even close to shoes or bags, however under YSL, the ready-to-wear was found to have the fastest growing percentage of what made up the company. With leather goods and shoes representing over half. The fragrances also had their own stake in the company; one in particular has caught our eye...
Black Opium. "2014s most anticipated new fragrance... Black Opium, the new feminine fragrance by Yves Saint Laurent - new glam rock fragrance full of mystery and energy. An addictive gourmand floral". Boasting notes of black coffee, white florals and vanilla, this fragrance is enchanting, energising and empowering. With an average rating of 4.6/5 on many different sites, I would suggest you get Black Opium as soon as, particularly if you're the mysterious type.
Yves Saint Laurent in 2009 after his death was named by Forbes as the top earning dead celebrity of the year. Throughout his career, he worked with a number of popular designers, including the likes of; Christian Dior (his mentor) and Tom Ford amongst many others. Yves Saint Laurent as a person will forever be remembered as someone ahead of his time, this translated into his brand, and for this reason, it is a brand that will never die.