Yves Saint Laurent, the designe credited with changing the face of female fashion, has died in Paris at the age of 71.

Pierre Berge, the designer's long-time business partner, said Mr. Saint Laurent had passed away on Sunday night following a lengthy illness.

Algerian-born Yves Saint Laurent was credited with irrevocably transforming feminine couture, introducing a timeless trend for trouser suits and safari jackets.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy said Saint Laurent had been the first designer "to elevate haute couture to the rank of art and that gave him global influence" while Tommy Hilfiger told the Associated Press news agency that Saint Laurent had been "a creative genius who changed the world of fashion forever".

 

"Gabrielle Chanel gave women freedom. Yves Saint Laurent gave them power," Berge told France Info radio.

Saint Laurent suffered a nervous breakdown in 1960 and after announcing his retirement in 2002, revealed his struggles with drugs and alcohol.

"Like all creators, Yves Saint Laurent had two faces, a public face and a private face," Pierre Berge said.

"In this sense he was a libertarian, an anarchist and he threw bombs at the legs of society," Berge added. "That's how he transformed society and that's how he transformed women."

Photo: Yves Saint Laurent, Catherine Deneuve