Yves Saint Laurent, arguably the last of the great French fashion greats, died on Sunday evening after a prolonged illness. Yves Saint Laurent CEO Valerie Hermann said today, "His unmatched genius revolutionized the world of fashion and left on it an inimitable mark. We are profoundly saddened by his passing, yet also humbled by the great heritage he leaves with us."

"I always served women and I did it without compromise until the end, with respect and love," said Saint Laurent as he retired from the fashion world in 2002. This was true ever since a 21-year-old Saint Laurent debuted his first collection for Dior in 1958, and then was sustained throughout his own Yves Saint Laurent collections. 

During the sixties and seventies, Saint Laurent's vision and creativity were really unleashed, and he truly deserved the title "King of Fashion" that he was given. Whilst Saint Laurent did indeed serve women all over the world, paying them tribute with his extraordinary fashion "eye", he also carried with him great personal and mental struggles, making his achievements even more poignant.

Many of the iconic looks that women take for granted today, such as the tuxedo suit "le smoking" and the very notion of designer pret a porter, owe their origins to Yves Saint Laurent. In later years, Saint Laurent retired completely from fashion, but, as he said, "Fashions fade. Style is eternal", and his is a gift for which we will be grateful long after his death.