Shortly after this success, he was conscripted to serve in the French Army during the Algerian War of Independence. After 20 days, the stress of being hazed by fellow soldiers led the fragile Saint Laurent to be institutionalized in a French mental hospital, where he underwent psychiatric treatment, including electroshock therapy, for a nervous breakdown.
In 1962, in the wake of his nervous breakdown, Saint Laurent was released from Dior and he and his lover, Pierre Bergé, started their own fashion house with funding from millionaire J. Mack Robinson. The couple split romantically in 1976 but remained business partners.
~He was the first to take works of art and interperate them in fashion.
~He inspiration from other cultures (Russia, China, Africa are just a few examples)
~His recreation of silhouettes from the 1920s, '30s and '40s were the first 'retro' looks.
~In 1966 he was yet again the first to popularize ready-to-wear fashion.
~He was also the first to create a classic tuxedo suit for women in 1966, the line being called Le Smoking.
~Yves was also the first designer to use black models in his runway shows.
~In 1983, Saint Laurent became the first living fashion designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a solo exhibition.
His Honour and Retirement
In 2001, he was awarded the rank of Commander of the Légion d'Honneur by French president Jacques Chirac. He retired in 2002 after about 40 years in the business and became increasingly reclusive. He created a foundation with Pierre Bergé in Paris to trace the history of the house of YSL, complete with 15,000 objects and 5,000 pieces of clothing.
A Legend Has Died
He died on June 1, 2008 from the effects of brain cancer, at his residence in Paris. YSL is buried in Marrakech Morocco. 
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