Who Owns YSL Now
YSL is owned by Kering, the multinational luxury group headquartered in Paris. Kering controls Yves Saint Laurent through its wholly owned subsidiary Yves Saint Laurent Beauté and the fashion and leather goods division. The brand operates as a core pillar of Kering's portfolio alongside Gucci, Bottega Veneta, and Balenciaga. Kering is publicly traded on the Euronext Paris stock exchange under the ticker KER and is one of the largest luxury conglomerates in the world. The group's ownership structure is fully consolidated, meaning YSL is not independently owned by any individual or external private equity firm. You can find the latest corporate structure details on the official Kering website Kering Official Website.
The effective controlling shareholder of Kering is the Pinault family, which holds a majority of voting rights through the holding company Artémis. François-Henri Pinault serves as the Chairman and CEO of Kering and is the primary figure behind the group's strategic decisions for YSL. Artémis is a French investment company that manages the Pinault family's assets and stakes in media, art, and luxury. This ownership chain means the Pinault family has ultimate control over YSL's creative direction, M&A moves, and global distribution. The group's consolidated financial reports clearly list YSL as a fully integrated luxury brand within the Kering segment.
YSL Ownership Structure and Key Executives
Under Kering, YSL is managed by the Luxury Division, which is headed by a dedicated brand president and a global team. The current President and CEO of Yves Saint Laurent is Anthony Vaccarello, who has led the fashion house since 2016. Vaccarello reports to Kering's executive committee and aligns YSL's collections with the group's broader luxury strategy. The brand's creative, marketing, and retail operations are integrated into Kering's centralized functions for finance, sustainability, and digital innovation. Kering publishes consolidated results that include YSL's revenue, operating margin, and capital expenditure figures in its annual report Kering Financial Reports.
YSL Beauty Ownership
YSL Beauté is operated as a separate legal entity within Kering and focuses on makeup, fragrance, and skincare. The beauty division is managed in collaboration with L'Oréal, which holds a long-term global license for YSL beauty products. L'Oréal manufactures, distributes, and markets YSL cosmetics under strict brand guidelines set by Kering. This licensing model allows Kering to generate royalties while focusing the fashion arm on ready-to-wear, leather goods, and accessories. The arrangement is governed by contractual terms that are reviewed periodically to align with Kering's luxury standards L'Oréal Official Website.
Historical Ownership of YSL
YSL was founded by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in 1961 as a French couture house. In 1976, the brand was acquired by the Sanofi industrial group, which later transferred it to a private holding company. In 1999, Gucci Group, led by Domenico De Sole and Tom Ford, purchased YSL and integrated it into the Gucci portfolio. Kering, then known as PPR, progressively acquired Gucci Group and made YSL a core brand under its luxury umbrella by the early 2000s. Since then, YSL has remained within the Kering group, with no external sale or spin-off transactions announced to date Forbes on Kering History.