Yves Saint Laurent: Blunt Words From Berge On Tom Ford

If you get the chance, be sure to catch Fionnuala Sweeney's interview with the late Yves Saint Laurent's long term partner Pierre Berge for CNN International. Berge is largely credited as the marketing and finance genius that propelled the Yves Saint Laurent brand forward and in many respects, laid the groundwork for the current business practices followed by most fashion houses including marketing, licensing and branding strategies. Berge is also known for being a somewhat irascible figure and has almost as many detractors as admirers within the French fashion industry.

The interview was meant to be a tribute commemorating the passing of the legendary French designer but when asked by Sweeney about the 2004 sale of the Yves Saint Laurent brand (pret-a-porter division, fragrances and accessories) to the Gucci Group (PPR), Berge in his characteristically abrasive manner bluntly described the move as a "disaster". And he didn't stop there. He went on, unprompted, to describe Tom Ford as "untalented" and as not having respected Yves Saint Laurent and his legacy. Sweeney was understandably a little taken aback and so sought to clarify Berge's remarks. Berge obliged and added that Yves Saint Laurent himself felt that Tom Ford had no talent. Pas tres chic de votre part Monsieur Berge. Pas chic du tout.

In fairness to Tom Ford, the House of Yves Saint Laurent was a famously dysfunctional place and I'm not absolutely certain anyone could have successfully managed the transition regardless of design talent. For a fascinating account of the rise of the Yves Saint Laurent brand and the role played by Berge, The Luxe Chronicles highly recommends Alicia Drakes's The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris (Bloomsbury, 2006).

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Photographic Reference:

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge, circa 2005. Photo by Stephane Feugere, courtesy of Style.com.

Comments

[Helene]

Perhaps. I'm not sure it would have been that easy however. Sometimes talent is just not enough to make it in fashion. Also, by most accounts, the House of Yves Saint-Laurent was a pretty dysfunctional place in its original incarnation. For a very well-researched and detailed history, I highly recommend Alicia Drake's "The Beautiful Fall" available via Amazon.

Thanks for taking the time to leave your comment.

Helene

[stylePOVist]

In fact, I do remember the fashion world did love what Alber Elbaz and Hedi Slimane did for YSL Rive Gauche back then- before Tom Ford's arrival, imagine what could have happened if they didn't sell to PPR/Gucci Group, these two talents could have had stayed and saved Rive Gauche, if given enough time.