Yves Saint Laurent dies at 71

Yves Saint Laurent, one of the most influential and enduring designers of the 20th century, died Sunday night at his Paris home after a year-long battle with brain cancer, said Pierre Berge, his close friend and partner for four decades.

“Chanel gave women freedom,” and Saint Laurent “gave them power,” Berge said on France-Info radio. He called Saint Laurent, 71, a “true creator” who went beyond the aesthetic to make a social statement.

Saint Laurent once said he felt “fashion was not only supposed to make women beautiful, but to reassure them, to give them confidence, to allow them to come to terms with themselves.”

He first emerged as a promising designer at age 17, winning first prize in a contest sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat for a cocktail dress design.

A year later, in 1954, he enrolled at the Chambre Syndicale school of haute couture, but student life lasted only three months. He was introduced to Christian Dior, then regarded as the greatest creator of his day, and Dior was so impressed with Saint Laurent’s talent that he hired him on the spot.

When Dior died suddenly in 1957, Saint Laurent was named head of the House of Dior at age 21.

R.I.P. Yves Saint Laurent