Baby Niki made of crinkled leather

The history of the fashion house **Saint Laurent** is inextricably linked to its founder, the visionary **Yves Saint Laurent**, who launched the label in 1961 with his partner Pierre Bergé, having already become head designer at Dior at the age of 21. Saint Laurent's true genius lay in his desire to **democratize fashion** and empower women by radically blurring gender boundaries. His most iconic and scandalous masterpiece was arguably **Le Smoking** from 1966, the women's suit that transferred the masculine garment to a woman's shoulders, thus becoming a symbol of **emancipation** at a time when women were still denied entry to upscale restaurants wearing trousers. He was the first couturier to introduce a ready-to-wear line called "Rive Gauche," bringing Parisian style to the streets and into the hands of the young, rebellious generation. After the master's retirement in the early 2000s, Hedi Slimane, in particular, spearheaded another revolution from 2012 onward by consistently tailoring the brand to a rock-inspired, slim, and youthful aesthetic, causing sales to skyrocket. The current creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, continues this sexy, often dark, and 80s-inspired aesthetic with dramatic cuts and sensual transparency. As a result, Saint Laurent remains synonymous with cool, androgynous chic and a timeless elegance rooted in rebellion and the liberation of women.