YSL Logo
One of the most prestigious and legendary fashion houses in the world is YSL. It is not only renowned for its distinctive and modern designs, but also unique in that it only uses natural materials for its products, including fabrics, ingredients, and leather. Moreover, it was the first fashion show to encourage models from Asia and Africa. The Yves Saint Laurent brand produces perfumes and decorative cosmetics, face and body care products, collections of men’s and women’s clothing, footwear, accessories, and jewelry.
Meaning and History
With the financial support of J. Mack Robinson, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berger set up their own brand in 1961 and soon released their first collection. Previously, Saint Laurent, then 21, worked as head designer of Christian Dior. Saint Laurent challenged the fashion industry’s established standards during the 60s and 70s. It was listed on the Paris stock exchange in 1989, with a market capitalization of $500 million. The pharmaceutical corporation Sanofi bought YSL in 1993. Gucci took over the company six years later. In 2012, the company’s head of design, Hedi Slimane, rebranded his ready-to-wear line Saint Laurent Paris, while leaving the old name for everything else.
What is YSL?
Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) is a world-renowned French luxury brand famed for its collections of women’s and men’s clothes, footwear, and accessories. There is also a cosmetics and perfume division manufactured under the former label YSL. It is a subsidiary of the Kering group.
1962 – 2012
A logo was drawn by the notorious French chronicler A.M. Cassandra. It consisted of a monogram accompanied by a full name underneath. The monogram featured the first letters of the full name stacked vertically and partially overlapping. The name was done using a classic, very elegant, and sophisticated custom font with slightly tapered strokes. All the letters are capitalized, although the first letters use larger caps. In addition, all the first letters are italicized and extended above and below the line.
2012 – Today
Along with a new name for one of the lines, a new logo has been presented. It was more reserved, yet just as sophisticated in appearance. The designers decided not to create a monogram this time. The logo had only “Saint Laurent” written on one line and “Paris” on the second line.
Font and Color
The original logo presents a custom font that is very similar to Donatello Alternates font. The logo introduced in 2012 features a Helvetica Neue Bold font. Throughout all the years, the YSL brand used black and white colors. The black color stands for luxury, power, and elegance, while white is the color of perfection.
