To mark Yves Saint Laurent’s 90th birthday, Catawiki presents a collectible portrait of one of fashion’s greatest tastemakers, spanning rare fashion, iconic accessories, art and interiors. Catawiki reveals unseen demand in the brand as nearly 40% more Yves Saint Laurent pieces found new owners on the platform (From left to right: Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Buste de femme en blanc, Emmanuel Villanis “Dalila” sculpture)Amsterdam, 13th July - Few designers shaped fashion quite like Yves Saint Laurent. From introducing Le Smoking to translating Piet Mondrian’s paintings into dresses, the French couturier changed not only how women dressed, but also how fashion could engage with art, culture and travel.
Ahead of what would have been Saint Laurent’s 90th birthday, Catawiki has curated a dedicated auction, live now until 21 July, featuring one-of-a-kind pieces celebrating his wider legacy and singular taste. Alongside vintage fashion and iconic handbags, the auction includes photography, artworks, books and Moroccan and Art Deco-inspired furniture that echo the interiors, places and objects that surrounded him.
Morocco played a particularly important role in shaping that world. After first visiting Marrakech in the 1960s, the French designer found new freedom in the city’s colour, architecture and craftsmanship. Those influences would remain central to his work and help transform the Parisian couturier into a designer associated with vivid colour, cultural references and bohemian luxury.
Nearly six decades after his most influential collections debuted, Saint Laurent remains firmly in the cultural conversation. With many of today’s most influential style figures - from Charli xcx, to Zoë Kravitz and Dua Lipa - associated with the house’s vintage-inspired, after-dark aesthetic, while the return of Y2K fashion has revived interest in designs such as the Mombasa bag. Once largely absent from the spotlight, the Mombasa has attracted a new generation of vintage collectors and has since been reintroduced by the house in an updated form.
That renewed interest is also visible on Catawiki. Yves Saint Laurent now ranks among the platform’s ten leading handbag brands, and in the first half of 2026, nearly 40% more YSL pieces found new owners than a year earlier. Demand is strongest for recognisable, durable designs, with vintage bags and jewellery attracting growing attention alongside classic models such as the Sac de Jour, Loulou, Sunset and Kate.
Collectors continue to place particular value on Saint Laurent’s work from the late 1960s and 1970s, when collections such as Mondrian, Ballets Russes and Les Espagnoles et les Romantiques brought art and global cultural references onto the runway. For the anniversary auction, Catawiki has sourced several pieces from this sought-after period, including a late-1970s runway skirt and a vintage pussy-bow blouse.
Lorenzo Altimani, Catawiki’s Fashion Expert, said: “Yves Saint Laurent’s most important collections did more than set trends: they changed how women could dress. Le Smoking brought traditionally masculine tailoring into womenswear, while the Mondrian dresses turned modern art into fashion. Today, collectors are still drawn to pieces that carry that history, from distinctive ready-to-wear to vintage jewellery and bags. We’re thrilled to be celebrating the rich artistry of YSL on Catawiki through this special auction.”
Auction highlights include:
A late-1970s Yves Saint Laurent runway skirt from Les Espagnoles et les Romantiques estimated at €1,100 - €1,250. Inspired by the designer's romantic vision of Spain, the collection combined sweeping gypsy skirts with structured corsetry and belongs to one of the designer’s most sought-after periods.
A 1980s Yves Saint Laurent statement necklace estimated at € 800 - € 1,000. Reflecting the influence of designer and muse Loulou de la Falaise, who helped establish bold costume jewellery as an essential part of the house’s look rather than a secondary accessory.
A Saint Laurent Envelope bag estimated at € 2,000 - € 2,400. A modern classic built around the Cassandre monogram designed in 1961, combining contemporary appeal with the sharp geometry associated with the house’s earlier design language.
Running until 19th July, the wider selection also includes art and interiors chosen to reflect Saint Laurent’s personal interests, including a rare Picasso aquatint and an Orientalist bronze sculpture that connects with the designer’s longstanding fascination with Morocco and Eastern aesthetics.
