Yves Saint-Laurent was born in 1936 in Oran, French Algeria. His unorthodox spirit was visible even in his youth, under the guidance of Dior, and was expressed throughout the arc of his career. A constant innovator of the female image, his intuition led him to bring classics from menswear into women's clothing: blazers, bush jackets, smoking jackets, trench coats, pant-suits. His fashion house was officially closed in 2002, but the brand lives on under the aegis of Gucci, and even now continues to inspire.