Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, known as Yves Saint Laurent (1936 -2008) French fashion designer, regarded as one of the greatest names in fashion history. In 1957, Saint Laurent found himself at age 21 the head designer of the House of Christian Dior S.A.. In 1960, Saint Laurent sued Dior for breach of contract &amp; won. He &amp; his partner, industrialist Pierre Bergé, started their own fashion house with funds from Atlanta millionaire J. Mack Robinson.