The 1960s were a time of great change—and that included fashion. The 1960s were a decade when people began to dress more casually, and designers responded by creating innovative new styles. Here are four popular fashion designers from the 1960s who left their mark on the fashion world.

Mary Quant

Mary Quant is a British fashion designer who was born in 1934. She is credited with popularizing the miniskirt and hot pants and becoming the real trend setter for the Mod Look. In 1955, she opened her first clothing boutique in London called Bazaar. By 1966, she had become so successful that she was able to open a second store. Her clothing was affordable and accessible to young people, which made her very popular with the youth market. In addition to her work in fashion design, Mary Quant is also a cosmetics inventor. She created the first ever black eyeliner, which was called Cake Eye Make-Up.

Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent is a French fashion designer who was born in 1936. He is perhaps best known for his work at the House of Dior, where he was head designer from 1958 to 1960. After leaving Dior, he founded his own fashion label which achieved great success. His most famous designs include the safari jacket and the pea coat. He is also credited with popularizing ready-to-wear clothing. Yves Saint Laurent retired from design in 2002 but remained an active force in the fashion world until his death in 2008. 

Andre Courreges 

Andre Courreges was a French fashion designer born in 1923. At 25 he moved to Paris to work under famous designer Balenciaga, who he worked for for 10 years! In 1961 he launched his own fashion house and became known for creating geometric, modern designs that he paired with short white boots. Then in 1964 he launched his spring collection which really put him on the map for creating Space Age designs, which is something that had not been seen up till then. He died at the age of 92, but will forever be known as making a serious mark on fashion for being a haute couture designer who was innovative and looked into the future for true inspiration. 

Rudi Gernreich

Rudi Gernreich was an Austrian-born designer who moved to Los Angeles in the early 1950s. He quickly found success in Hollywood, dressing some of the biggest stars of the day including Marilyn Monroe, Jane Fonda, and Audrey Hepburn. Gernreich was also a pioneer in swimwear design; in 1964, he debuted his now-famous topless bathing suit. Though it caused quite a stir at the time, there's no denying that Gernreich's design paved the way for many other daring looks in swimwear—and fashion as a whole—in the years that followed. 

The 1960s were a decade of great change, both socially and culturally—and that included fashion. Designers responded to the changing times by creating innovative new styles that reflected the growing Casual Culture movement . These four designers pushed boundaries, challenged norms, and established themselves as Some Of The Most Important Figures In Fashion History—all while helping to shape fashion as we know it today.