Brand Identity of Yves Saint Laurent
There are numerous fashion houses around the world, all of them cherished differently. With so much legacy, it is nearly impossible to generate competition between those. They all have something unique and signature to them. However, this blog will focus on the fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, also known as YSL. One of the most well-known 20th-century fashion designers, Yves Saint Laurent, founded the latter. Hence, the company is named after him. True fashion lovers are incredibly fond of his seductive and authentic style. He is known as the modern era’s most noteworthy European fashion designer. Let’s dig deeper into the company to unravel more about its success.
What is the identity of Yves Saint Laurent?
One of the key factors contributing to Yves Saint Laurent’s status as one of the most adored fashion designers in history is his goal to produce distinctive, high-quality pieces that would enable women to feel both at ease and exquisite at the same time.
The tuxedo suit for ladies, thigh boots, and the vivid Mondrian dress with black lines, which was inspired by the well-known works of the artist Piet Mondrian, are some of his most recognizable and revolutionary pieces that became trademarks of the YSL brand.
But have you ever wondered where it all started? How did Saint Laurent create the YSL label, one of the most prestigious and well-known luxury clothing companies known for its cutting-edge and recognizable designs?
The designer Yves Saint Laurent produced identifiable and authentic classic tuxedos for ladies during the 1960s and 1970s, safari jackets for men and women, tight pants, thigh-high boots, etc. His most well-known design is regarded as the infamous “Le Smoking tailored tuxedo suit” from the autumn 1965 collection.
He has established himself as one of the best “ready-to-wear” designers, introducing comfort and a new, contemporary aesthetic to the fashion world. Ballet Russes, Picasso, Pop Art, and Chinese motifs were some of his most remarkable collections.
The concept of “wearing silhouettes” and “ready-to-wear” collections was initially made famous by the Saint Laurent design house in 1966. The first Yves Saint Laurent for Men fragrance was released in 1971 and quickly rose to the top of the scent charts.
The Saint Laurent fashion house has created numerous cinematic costumes in addition to attractive, cozy, and contemporary clothing for women, including the trench, shorts, safari pants, coats, and blazers that had that seductive “beatnik look.”
Unique scents like Y from 1964, Saint Laurent Rive Gauche from 1971, and Opium from 1977 make the Saint Laurent beauty brand famous. One of YSL’s most exquisite products is its distinctive red lipstick, which comes in a shade of red that is ideal for everyone.
The well-known color schemes of the YSL brand were first debuted in 1978 with the YSL makeup range. They were most known for their vibrant hues with lovely pigments and tones, which have turned into the top-selling cosmetics on the market.
Today, the Yves Saint Laurent brand includes fashion boutiques and collections in over 40 nations. Since its founding, it has become one of the most prominent and well-known luxury fashion houses.
If you’re vacationing in Porto Montenegro, you may take a stroll and shop for some of the most famous pieces of Yves Saint Laurent clothing, which will astound you with their high-quality materials and exquisite patterns.
Yves Saint Laurent Brand Positioning
To better understand the brand positioning of Yves Saint Laurent, we are going to take a look at the Instagram post below.
Yves Saint Laurent created his take on the Domino, a long hooded cloak typically used at masquerade balls, for his Autumn/Winter 1984–1985 haute couture line. Keeping the hood’s original intent in mind, he removed it so the wearer could still be openly and proudly seen.
Contrasting fabrics on the garment offer rhythmic interest; blue faille reflects light while black velvet absorbs it. The different shades of blue and the wavy movement of the black strips Andrée Brossin de Méré appliquéd into the faille give the piece a fantastic sense of vibrancy.
We are seeing the Domino presented in multiple settings in this Instagram post. In the first photo, we see it being modeled; in the second one, we see it on a mannequin, and the third one is a more in-detail representation.
Now, what can we gather from this Instagram post?
The thought, energy, and ideas put into making this piece come true are the most significant hints we get about the company. That is because there was an idea that later became this extravagant piece.
And secondly, the idea of this piece was transformative since the hood was removed to make it more elegant and suitable.
That said, we can confidently state that the archetype Yves Saint Laurent belongs to is the Magician.
What do we know about it?
- This archetype desires to be familiar with the fundamental rules of how the universe and the world work.
- This archetype aims to turn their dreams into reality.
- The strategy of this archetype is to form a vision and encounter it.
Other companies of the Magician archetype are Disney, Apple, SpaceX, etc.
The messaging levels of the Magician archetype are the following.
Level One: apprehensiveness, extrasensory or synchronistic experiences
Level Two: supernatural moments and adventures of transformation
Level Three: the experience of flow
Level Four: endorsements, moving from concept to embodiment
The Magician archetype might provide a good identity for brands if:
- the nature of your service or product is transformative
- its implicit promise is to transform the consumer
- it claims to New Age clients or cultural fanatics
- it permits the design or development of consciousness
- it is a user-friendly application
- it has a psychological or spiritual feature
- it is a remarkable and very co-occurring item
- The pricing is above-average to high-priced
Brand archetypes: Why are they significant in practice?
Multiple companies’ communication strategies can focus on different approaches with varying goals. However, there is a fundamental logic that unites all these messages together. That is where the communication based on archetypal branding enters the picture.
Archetypal branding guarantees clarity, originality, and creativity in messaging. If you encounter a motivational quote telling you that your brand can reach the world, you could perceive it in numerous ways, resulting in differing effectiveness.
One archetype is about gaining experience; the other is about becoming a hero. Communication based on archetypes can help marketing specialists mix and match their ideas under one grouping—the latter results in more powerful messaging.
To better understand how to turn your brand messaging into something more practical, look at the “8 Steps To a Complete Archetypal Branding.”
Uncovering the identity of Yves Saint Laurent in more detail.
Let us use a few positioning tactics of the company for a better understanding.
It speaks about three aspects.
- The category of Yves Saint Laurent
- Brand differentiation, how Yves Saint Laurent stands out from other brands
- Core idea. What primary idea that Yves Saint Laurent wants its customers to be aware of?
Category
Yves Saint Laurent, YSL, has been a part of the fashion industry for more than 60 years as a French luxury fashion brand. It is famous for its revolutionary and innovative designs, which have critically shaped fashion history.
Benefits and differentiation
Creating eye-catching designs and high-quality products has always been the main Yves Saint Laurent goal. Hence, its fundamental competency highly depends on developing revolutionary items that meet the fashionable consumers’ needs.
Since its products align with the most recent trends, its fashion pieces have always had higher prices.
The company develops related and permanent collections as an aspect of its product strategy every season. That is to keep its loyal consumers engaged and gain new customers.
The company differentiates itself from other brands through its projection of exclusive department stores, high-end stores, and official electronic stores.
YSL also has a mobile sales channel with a presence and has been working on it for the past few years.
With all that hard work, YSL has a presence in physical stores in over 35 countries.
The company has also alternated its digital promotional campaign approaches and how to better perform at it. For example, they have focused more on promoting social media contests and video campaigns.
They also benefit from their social media followers to promote their new items. Every social media channel has benefits that companies can utilize in their promotion strategy. For example, the company showcases the elegance and quality of its unique items on its YouTube channel.
The company also has physical stores where they concentrate on visual advertising. Their stores have a neat, minimalistic design. The latter keeps their existing consumers engaged and enhances the opportunities to attract new customers.
The main communication idea
Inevitably, social media has a high presence in everyone’s lives, so most brands have shifted their communication strategy focus to social media. YSL is not an exception when it comes to that.
The company attempts to promote its products through social media communication, video ad campaigns, and other networks such as content promotions.
The company leverages its client base through numerous social media platforms to promote its items. They regularly develop commercial videos on their YouTube channel to promote the grace of their products and showcase a more realistic image of them.
Regarding their physical stores, as mentioned in the blog, YSL concentrates a considerable amount of their efforts on their store designs. That is to represent better visual merchandising, catch the eye of potential consumers, and turn them into loyal ones.
Brand Elements of Yves Saint Laurent
What are the possible brand elements that we are going to discuss? Let’s focus on the logo, slogan, archetype, and other concepts.
The name element
The company is usually referred to in two ways: YSL and Saint Laurent, and they both mean the same thing. The company name is after the name of the founder.
The logo element
Like the name element, the logo also stands for the company’s name, Yves Saint Laurent. The well-known monogram of the company still shows up on the newer products the brand comes up with. It is also significant to note that this striking design communicates ideas of grace, sophistication, and unity.
The slogan element
The slogan of YSL is “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”
This saying is a massive aspect of the company because it is initially a long-term success. The company does not simply want its consumers to buy products from them.
The brand wants its items to become a solid style for its loyal consumers, who will forever incorporate these unique pieces in their outfits.
The color element
As demonstrated in the logo, the company’s signature colors are black and white—the black calls for sophistication and mysteriousness. White, on the other hand, brings simplicity and calmness.
The website
The website of the company is simple but also unique. As you enter the website, you see a signature picture of the company, and on the left is the simple navigation bar. On the right side is the search button.
The packaging
The company packages its products in a simple black square packaging, once again in its signature sophisticated yet simple style.
That is where we conclude the blog of YSL, where we discuss the different elements and the brand’s identity. Stop by our main website for more informative and fun content.
