How to Pronounce Yves Saint Laurent (and YSL)

Yves Saint Laurent is pronounced eev san lo-RAHN. The name belongs to the French designer who founded Saint Laurent in Paris in 1961, and you can shop the house bags and shoes at Luxury Shoes .

Each part

Yves sounds like eve, with a long ee: eev. Saint is a nasal san, with no t at the end. Laurent is lo-RAHN, with the stress at the end, a soft nasal an and no t.

YSL and Saint Laurent

YSL is said letter by letter: why-ess-el in English, ee-grèk-ess-el in French. Saint Laurent alone is san lo-RAHN.

Common mistakes

Keep the t silent in both Saint and Laurent, and do not stress the first syllable of Laurent.

Saying the model names

Loulou is loo-loo. Le 5 à 7 is luh sank ah set, the French for five to seven. Sac de Jour is sack duh zhoor, the day bag. Opyum is oh-pee-um. Cassandre is ka-SAHN-druh. Rive Gauche is reev gohsh, the Left Bank.

Other French fashion names

Hermès is air-MEZ, Loewe is lo-EH-vay, Alaia is ah-LIE-ah and Maison Margiela is may-ZON mar-ZHEL-ah. See brands like Saint Laurent.

More about the house

Read who was Yves Saint Laurent and what the YSL logo means.

• Saint Laurent Simone Medium in Soft Leather, $5,190
• Saint Laurent Icarino in Shearling, $4,390
• Saint Laurent Loulou Small in Matelassé Lambskin, Deep Hickory, $3,760
• Saint Laurent Sunset Medium in Suede, $4,310
• Saint Laurent Mombasa Small in Pony Hair Leather, $5,340
• Saint Laurent Loulou Medium in Matelassé Suede, Caramel Cognac, $4,710

See every piece on the Saint Laurent brand page.

Saint Laurent at a glance

• Founded: Paris, 1961, by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé
• First couture show: 29 January 1962
• Logo: the Cassandre YSL monogram, drawn by A. M. Cassandre in 1961
• Signature: Le Smoking, the first tuxedo for women, 1966
• Owner: Kering, since 1999
• Creative director: Anthony Vaccarello, since 2016
• Made in: Italy for most ready-to-wear, bags and shoes, with some pieces made in France and Japan

Buying Saint Laurent at Luxury Shoes

Every Saint Laurent piece at Luxury Handbags is 100% authentic and checked before dispatch. Each product page lists the composition, the country of origin, the sizes Saint Laurent makes for that style and the brand’s own fit note. Luxury Handbags ships worldwide by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority, insured and signature required. Most regions ship Delivered Duty Unpaid, so local duties are payable on import. Browse the full Saint Laurent edit, and for sizing read the Saint Laurent size guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pronounce Yves Saint Laurent?

eev san lo-RAHN.

Is the t in Saint Laurent silent?

Yes. Both t sounds are silent in French.

How do you pronounce YSL?

Letter by letter: why-ess-el.

By Gemma Deeks, Fashion Editor at Luxury Shoes . Prices and availability checked on 18 October 2026.