India's designer fraternity Monday mourned the passing away of French fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent, saying his death had created a void that would be difficult to fill.
NEW DELHI: India's designer fraternity Monday mourned the passing away of French fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent, saying his death had created a void that would be difficult to fill.
"I would call him a legendary fashion figure," designer Rina Dhaka, who had worked with YSL, as he was generally referred to, backstage at a show in India some two decades ago, said.
"He has left behind a fashion legacy that actually started with him," said Ritu Kumar, a former president of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI).
"YSL was instrumental in bringing power dressing to the world," said designer Raghavendra Rathore.
YSL, considered one of the most important figures in the fashion history, died in Paris Sunday after battling a protracted illness, his friend and partner Pierre Berge said Monday.
Born on Aug 1, 1936, in the port city of Oran in Algeria, YSL became famous in the 1960s for his women's tuxedo. In 2002, he withdrew from the public eye, and his brand now belongs to the French luxury company PPR.
On the company web site, YSL is described as "one of the 20th century's most innovative and provocative designers. He created signature looks and styles and left a legacy of timeless iconic products such as the tuxedo, the pantsuit, the safari jacket and the trench coat."
According to Dhaka, YSL would "always be remembered for his white formal suits. He used to use lavish Indian embroidery in his work and he had great love for India.
"He once had a magnificent show in India. At that time, I was a student and I assisted him backstage for the show - what luxury, tremendous sets - it was all just lovely.
"He became very reclusive in his last years and yes, it is a great loss to the fashion world," Dhaka added.
Noting that YSL was just 22-years-old when the legendary Christian Dior died, Kumar said he was "very soon was being recognized for his genius as a fashion protégé.
"His reputation grew as one of the most influential and inspired designers in the world. He can be credited with both creating the high value image of couture that had taken a dip in the 1960s and rendering ready-to-wear lines reputable.
In this context, she noted that in the 1960s and the 1970s, YSL "popularised the beatnik look and then safari jackets for both men and women, thigh-high boots, the tuxedo suit for women and the Le Smoking jacket".
In 1966, Kumar pointed out, YSL he "was the first designer to popularise ready-to-wear in an attempt to democratise fashion. He also was one of the first to use dark skinned models on the ramp to showcase his collections", she added.
Kumar also pointed to the late designer's India links.
"He loved the colours of India and enjoyed everything exotic. His villa parties were often thematic and once it had Brindavan as a theme complete, with models in navy blue as Krishna and others in the flowing clothes of the gopis.
"It is a real loss to the world of fashion when an artist leaves his palette and moves on," Kumar said.
According to Rathore: "there was a big change in the way people started dressing" after YSL came on the scene and "the Dior classic look faded away".
"He personified the use of the logo in the fashion industry. I was never very fascinated by his clothes, but I really wish I could do business the way he did by emphasising his logo.
"We have definitely lost a fashion giant," Rathore added.
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