Yves Saint Laurent was born on August 1, 1936 in Oran, Algeria and, even as a child, it didn't take long to recognize a creative genius in the making.  He quickly fell in love with theatre and fashion and, as a teenager, practiced his designs on his biggest fan: his mother, who used a local seamstress to bring his sketches to life. 

Although his parents tried nudging him into law, Saint Laurent left for Paris at 17 and never looked back.  After winning a series of design competitions and having work appear in the pages of Vogue, he soon caught the eye of Christian Dior.  Barely three years after becoming his protégé, Saint Laurent was appointed head of the multi-million dollar fashion house, following Dior's sudden death in 1957.  He was just 21 at the time.

His first collection for Dior, modeled after Mondrian's geometric designs, featured the playful trapeze dress, and shook up constricting design at the time. Taking his style cues from both home soil and abroad, Saint Laurent's clothes were youthful and always fresh, which quickly earned him international attention.

But even Dior's sprawling empire was not enough to hold talent as big as Saint Laurent.  In 1961, he announced the creation of his own haute couture house. Drawing heavy influences from the art and dance world, it wasn't usual at all to see him out and about with artists like Andy Warhol or ballet star Rudolph Nureyev. 

The designer was no stranger to controversy either and readily pushed the envelope throughout his career.  When protests flared in 1971 about his nude appearance in ads for his men's cologne, Saint Laurent shot back, asking why it was more acceptable for women to pose nude than men.  And in 1977, he landed himself at the centre of scandal again when the name of one of his women's perfume, "Opium," led to accusations he was glamorizing drug use.

Yves Saint Laurent has come a long way from his beginnings, designing dresses for his mother.  In 1983, he became the first living fashion designer to be honoured by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.  In 1992, a spectacular show, presenting his designs of the past three decades, was staged at the Bastille Opera in Paris to commemorate the house's 30th anniversary.  And Saint Laurent's decision to retire from haute couture in January of 2002, was met with mourning from those who believe the day truly marked the end of a fashion era.

But as Saint Laurent himself was once quoted, "Fashions fade but style is eternal."  And with his timeless and empowering spirit living on the wardrobes of women everywhere, he is one designer whose life and innovative influence won't soon be forgotten.

-- Avril Sequeira (FT Intern)