What does YSL stand for? The letters are the initials of Yves Saint Laurent, a French fashion designer, and the name of the Paris fashion house he started. The three letters, stacked and interlocked, form the monogram the label is known for.
YSL is not an acronym for a phrase. Each letter is simply the first letter of one part of a person's name: Y for Yves, S for Saint and L for Laurent. In daily talk, people either say the letters, "Y S L," or say the full French name.
Quick facts
Stands for
Yves Saint LaurentType
Initials of a person's name, used as a brandHow to say the name
Eev san lo RAHNFounded
Paris, 1961Founders
Yves Saint Laurent and his business partner Pierre BergéName today
The fashion line uses Saint Laurent; YSL stays as the monogram
What does YSL stand for, letter by letter?
| Letter | Name part | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Y | Yves (first name) | Eev, like "eve" |
| S | Saint | San, with a soft nasal ending |
| L | Laurent | Lo RAHN, stress at the end |
"Saint Laurent" is a family name, so the S and the L belong together, but each word still gets its own letter. That is why the short form has three letters, not two. Brands built from a founder's initials are common in fashion and beyond, and the brand name acronyms section collects many of them.
The designer and the house
Yves Saint Laurent was born in 1936 in Oran, in what was then French Algeria. As a young man he worked at a major Paris couture house and became its head designer while still in his early twenties. In 1961 he and his partner, Pierre Bergé, opened a fashion house under his own name in Paris.
The house became known for bringing ideas from men's clothing into women's fashion, such as a tuxedo suit for women, and for launching a ready to wear line, which made designer style easier to buy than made to order couture. Saint Laurent died in 2008. The label continued after him under other designers.
YSL or Saint Laurent: which name is right?
Both are in use, for different things. In the 2010s, the fashion side of the business began presenting its clothing and accessories under the name Saint Laurent, dropping the first name from the label. The interlocked YSL monogram stayed on many items, and the beauty side kept the YSL name.
Shopping conversation: "Is this bag YSL or Saint Laurent?" The answer is that it is the same house. Saint Laurent is the current name on the fashion line, and YSL is the familiar monogram and nickname.
In everyday speech, "YSL" remains the most common way people refer to the brand, partly because it is quick to say and type.
How to say YSL and Yves Saint Laurent
Saying the letters, "why ess el," is fine and very common in the United States. If you want the full name, the French sounds are a little different from how English speakers might read them:
- Yves: one syllable, "eev." The Y and the S are not sounded as they are in English.
- Saint: "san," not "saint" as in the English word. The T is silent.
- Laurent: "lo RAHN," with the final T silent and the stress on the second part.
Put together, it sounds close to "eev san lo RAHN." Write the brand short form in capitals, YSL, with no periods.
Other uses of the letters YSL
Nearly every search for YSL is about the fashion name. Outside fashion, the same three letters can be someone's personal initials on a monogrammed towel, or a school or club abbreviation. Online, the letters are also used as the name of a music label and in some slang, so in a song credit or a social post the meaning may not be the designer. If the letters sit on a handbag, a shoe box or a beauty counter, they mean Yves Saint Laurent.
To see how initials differ from acronyms said as words, read what is an acronym. For another fashion name built from letters, compare the story behind adidas.
Questions people ask
What does YSL stand for in fashion?
In fashion, YSL stands for Yves Saint Laurent, the French designer who founded the house in Paris in 1961. The initials form the label's well known monogram.
Is YSL the same as Saint Laurent?
Yes, they are the same fashion house. The clothing and accessories line now uses the name Saint Laurent, while YSL stays as the monogram and as a common nickname.
How do you pronounce Yves Saint Laurent?
Say "eev san lo RAHN." The T at the end of Saint and Laurent is silent, and Yves is a single syllable.
Was Yves Saint Laurent a real person?
Yes. He was a French designer born in 1936 who died in 2008. The house he cofounded with Pierre Bergé carries his name.
Is YSL an acronym?
Strictly, YSL is a set of initials from a person's name, not an acronym for a phrase. People often call it an acronym in casual speech, and that is widely understood.