Mock Brand & Media Campaign
SINCE 1961.
My idea is simple. SINCE 1961 celebrates the spirit that has defined YSL from the beginning: a willingness to challenge convention, redefine luxury, and create something unexpected. Rather than treating YSL's heritage as something that belongs only to the past, the campaign brings its legacy into the present with YSL Beaute.
The Problem: YSL has an unmistakable legacy in fashion. Yves Saint Laurent challenged traditional ideas of femininity, luxury, and what women could wear—from Le Smoking to his provocative approach to ready-to-wear and advertising. But a legacy can become something consumers look back on rather than experience today. For a younger beauty consumer, YSL's history may be recognizable without necessarily feeling personally relevant. How can YSL Beauty make its iconic heritage feel current, personal, and culturally relevant to a new generation—without losing the luxury and history that make the brand distinctive?
The Insight: The most powerful part of YSL's heritage isn't what it created. It's the courage to create differently. Today's consumer may still love the classics—red lipstick, tailored silhouettes, timeless luxury—but they want to interpret them in their own way. They don't just want to inherit the YSL legacy. They want to add to it. This creates the opportunity to turn YSL's history into something that is ongoing rather than finished.
The Solution: YSL Beauty launches SINCE 1961, a heritage-driven campaign that celebrates the qualities YSL has embodied since its founding while inviting a new generation to carry those qualities forward.
The campaign’s visual formula is: [ WORD ] SINCE 1961. Consumers are invited to choose the word that represents how they express themselves. This makes the campaign more than a celebration of YSL's history. It becomes a way for consumers to participate in the brand's legacy.
Brand Side
YSL's legacy, reimagined for today.
High-fashion imagery. Couture-inspired styling. Bold self-expression. [WORD] SINCE 1961. Lean into the “Fill in Your Feel” in live activations.
Media Side
Make the legacy participatory.
Bring [WORD] SINCE 1961 into social, digital, OOH, and experiential moments—inviting consumers to add their own word to the YSL story.
Interactive Idea: YSL Word Wall
Surrounded by words of the YSL legacy, what will you add?