December 4, 1961
Creation of the Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture House

Pierre Bergé began raising the necessary funds for opening a haute couture house. He sold his apartment on the Île Saint-Louis at 24 rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île and signed a contract with an investor who would remain anonymous for two years: J. Mack Robinson from Atlanta, the first American to invest in a Parisian haute couture house. As for Yves Saint Laurent, he began giving his first interviews prior to the official opening.

The house was first located in the former Manguin ateliers at 11 rue Jean-Goujon. In 1945, Christian Dior had envisioned setting up his own haute couture house there before ultimately opening at 30 avenue Montaigne. The move to the Rue Jean-Goujon was to be temporary, while renovation work at the artist Jean-Louis Forain’s former hôtel particulier at 30 bis rue Spontini was being completed.

On December 4, 1961, the haute couture house opened its doors. The first gown, labeled “00001” was delivered to Madame Patricia Lopez-Willshaw, an important society figure after the war.