Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent's Partner and Business Mind, Dies at 86

Pierre Bergé, who was the lifelong companion of Yves Saint Laurent, passed away at the age of 86 on September 8, 2017, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He was born in 1930 on Île d'Oléron and relocated to Paris in 1948, where he formed friendships with notable figures like Jean Cocteau. Prior to his encounter with Saint Laurent in 1958, Bergé had an eight-year romance with artist Bernard Buffet. In 1961, he co-established the Yves Saint Laurent haute couture house and later ventured into ready-to-wear fashion with Rive Gauche boutiques. After selling and later reacquiring the brand, it went public in the late 1980s and was acquired by Gucci Group in 1999. An avid art collector, he auctioned his collection for €375 million in 2009, and plans for two museums honoring him and Saint Laurent were announced.