One of the most important characteristics of Saint Laurent is its refusal to adhere to gender rules. Take the example of the Tuxedo, which debuted in 1966. A tuxedo for women, the design did not match the gender norms of the time, as it was still controversial that women wear pants in public. In the late 1990s, Saint Laurent remained the recognized center of the fashion industry. His most recent collection, launched in January 1998, marked its 40th and 150th anniversary. Indeed, 1998 was declared the Year of the St. Lawrence: on July 12, during the 1998 World Cup final, a retrospective of 300 works by Saint-Laurent was to be presented to a television audience expected to reach more than two billion television viewers. The company planned to launch its latest line of fragrances, In Love Again, while preparations for an exhibition in honor of Saint Laurent for the International Festival of Fashion Photography in New York in March 1998 prepared an exhibition. Finally, in 1998, the Saint Laurent Gallery of the National Gallery in London was inaugurated – an enduring tribute to the living legend of fashion. In January 1993, the company announced that it had approved the acquisition by Sanofi.
In the end, the partners agreed to sell 100%, but as part of an agreement that guaranteed that while the management of Saint Laurent Perfumes would be controlled by Sanofi, the fashion house would remain the province of Saint Laurent and Bergé. The purchase price of FFr 3,6 billion also included an unusual provision: the grant of FFr 350 million to Bergé for the abandonment of the limited partnership. At the same time, Bergé announced his intention to retire after 2000. After his appointment, Slimane moved the design studio to Los Angeles, Slimane`s home; The sewing workshop will remain in France. [11] The company relaunched its haute couture collection in 2015 under Slimane. [26] In 2002, after years of ill health, drug addiction, depression, alcoholism and criticism of YSL designs, Saint Laurent closed YSL`s couture division. “Chanel liberated women, and I empowered them.” [11] Saint Laurent has been quoted as reflecting on her career and her influence on fashion: “I created the wardrobe of the contemporary woman.” In 2004, Tom Ford left the company and Stefano Pilati, a designer of Italian origin, became creative director 11 . [17] Yves Saint Laurent died of brain cancer in 2008. The following years proved turbulent for the company,[11] as YSL stores were closed in the major American markets of San Francisco and New York (including the Madison Avenue location, the first store in the United States).[18] In January 2010, the Chicago store on Oak Street also closed. [19] De Benedetti turned out to be an unfortunate choice for a partner. In 1989, De Benedetti insisted on buying out his investment in Saint Laurent.
An initial agreement that allowed De Benedetti to leave the company failed. Saint Laurent was to be listed on the Paris Secondary Stock Exchange in July 1989. Fearing a hostile takeover, Bergé changed the company`s structure as a precaution and turned Saint Laurent into a limited partnership. This reorganization will give Bergé and Saint Laurent control over the management of the company. It would also have worse consequences – ironically, the structure would lead to the total loss of control of the partners. In 1999, Gucci bought the YSL brand and asked Tom Ford to design the ready-to-wear collection, while Saint Laurent was to design the haute couture collection. In 2002, haunted by years of ill health, drug addiction, depression, alcoholism and criticism of YSL designs, Saint Laurent closed the YSL fashion house. Although the house no longer exists, the brand still survives thanks to its parent company, Gucci Group.