Saint Laurent film not supported by Fondation YSL

This week another biopic of designer Yves Saint Laurent will debut at the

Cannes Film Festival.

The film, however, was met with stern criticism and did not have the support of Saint Laurent's partner Pierre Bergé, who is also the founder of the Fondation Saint Laurent.

This meant the film did not have access to the 6000 vintage outfits that are often loaned by the Fondation to supporting causes or creative endeavours.

The film's costume designers were further faced with legal issues as Bergé publically threated to sue the film if it showed unauthorised reproductions of any of Saint Laurent's collections.

The film's producer, Eric Altmayer, had agreed reproduction rights with François-Henri Pinault, chief executive of Kering, which owns the Saint Laurent brand. “Legally speaking, we needed the brand owner,” stated Altmayer.

The film's costume designer Anais Romand says she was helped by a private collector who dressed two of the film's primary characters. She also stated: “Costume design for cinema deals with image, not plain reality. It gives freedom to take short-cuts you can’t take in haute couture.”

'Saint Laurent' premieres this Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival.