Goals of the Foundation
The Foundation was created to prolong the history of the House of Yves Saint Laurent, whose Haute Couture operations ceased on 31 October 2002.
Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé opened their haute couture house at 30 bis, rue Spontini in 1962. They would remain there for twelve years, during which Yves Saint Laurent was to invent the modern woman's wardrobe. In 1974, they moved to 5, avenue Marceau, a hôtel particulier dating from the Second Empire. It was here that Yves Saint Laurent would assert his style until 2002, when he ended his career.
The Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent is the accomplishment of forty years of creation. It retraces the history of fashion as created by Yves Saint Laurent, fashion that reveals the inner workings of society. By making use of masculine codes, he brought women self-assurance, audacity and power, whilst preserving their feminity. These clothes are part of the 20th century history. They have accompanied women's emancipation in every domain, be it personal, social or political.
The Foundation transforms these memories into projects. After substantial renovation work, the Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent re-opened its doors in 2004 with the exhibition: Yves Saint Laurent, dialogue with Art.
The Foundation has set itself three primary goals:
- To conserve the 5,000 Haute Couture garments and the 15,000 accessories, sketches and assorted objects that bear witness to 40 years of Yves Saint Laurent's creativity
- To organize exhibitions: fashion, paintings, photographs, drawings
- To support cultural and educational projects
The foundation was officially recognized by the French authorities on 5 December 2002. It has 200 m2 of exhibition space.
