The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech is here and it doesn't disappoint. The museum reflects the designer's legacy, which is steeped in Moroccan inspiration. Studio KO went to work to create a museum experience unlike any other, including a French cafe and a circular courtyard. The museum itself was commissioned by Saint Laurent's partner Pierre Bergé through Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent who heartbreakingly passed away one month before its opening.
In that sense, Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech is not just a visual story of Yves Saint Laurent's career. It's also a great romantic tale of creative brilliance and execution. 
Yves Saint Laurent’s Relationship to Marrakech
Yves Saint Laurent first visited Morocco in 1966 with his partner. They left with a purchase: a riad in the medina. The riad in the medina was soon upgraded to the Villa Oasis neighboring Jardin Majorelle, where the French designer’s ashes are scattered and also where the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech neighbors. Saint Laurent was inspired by the vibrancy of Marrakech and the city’s colors were often found in his designs.
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Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech
The architectural firm, Studio KO, spared no expense when it came to designing and creating the museum. The museum includes a temporary exhibition hall, a photographic gallery, a research library, a bookshop, a 150-seat auditorium, a French cafe and an outdoor terrace.
Locally-sourced materials were used to create the museum, included terracotta, granite and bush-hammered concrete. The design was inspired by folds of fabric and embroidery trim. While the outside is reflective of Morocco's aesthetic, the inside has a cleaner design. The circular courtyard reflects Saint Laurent's admiration of Matisse with its prismatic stained-glass windows.
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Exhibits on Display
Yves Saint Laurent and partner Pierre Bergé kept everything from sketches to patterns over the years of his career. This archive of inspiration and documentation are on a timeline display for those to view. His clothing designs are exhibited in the central hall. The director of the museum, Björn Dahlström, wanted to play with the juxtaposition of color and masculine vs. feminine that Saint Laurent so brilliantly achieved. He used black walls and digital ephemera to mimic the designer's brain. His jewelry collaboration with Loulou de la Falaise is also on display – an opulent mixture of semiprecious stones and copper chest and waist sculptures.
Last but not least, the museum’s theater plays a medley of rare footage of the designer and a collection of arthouse films. Leading up to the theater are sketches from Saint Laurent’s work in ballet, theater, cabaret and cinema.
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Photography: Nicolas Mathéus
