Yves Saint Laurent Yves Saint Laurent was born in 1937 and grew up in Oran, Algeria. At 17, he left for Paris, France where he went to fashion School. He was introduced to Christian Dior by de Brunhoff and he went on to work for Dior until his death in 1957. After taking over as art director for Dior, Saint Laurent launched his first collection for the company, the Ligne Trapéze, that year. It was a resounding success the world over and won him a Neiman Marcus Oscar. In 1960, Saint Laurent created his revolutionary "Beat Look" collection which used couture techniques to refine streetstyle. However, his dramatic designs were too much for the house of Dior and a year later they lifted bars on his national service. When he returned from service in 1962, Saint Laurent set up his own fashion house with Pierre Bergé and continued to rock the establishment.