Skip to content

Behind the design of Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech

Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the iconic Yves Saint Laurent courture house is the release of the the story behind the architecture and design of Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech

Bookmark article to read later

By Amy Saunders | January 19, 2022 | Architecture

On January 29 1962, Yves Saint Laurent presented his first collection in Paris and now, every year the courture house celebrates the anniversary of what is one of the most influential design and fashion houses in the industry.

This year, architecture and interior design practice Studio KO partnered with the Phaidon publishing house on an exclusive account of the architecture and design journey to construct the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech.

Picture: Unsplash
Picture: Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech is available from Phaidon publishing for R2 000.

The book release, titled Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech, documents the 1,423 days that it took to design, build, and institute the now beloved architecture and fashion destination.

The story begins from the moment the up-and-coming French-Moroccan practice Studio KO received the commissioning call from YSL's longtime partner Pierre Bergé, details the creative process and construction, and captures the opening of the museum's doors in 2017.

Picture: Phaidon.com

In addition to his remarkable contributions to high fashion, Yves Saint Laurent was renowned for how he paid tribute to artists with his haute couture collections and would travel to Marrakech for a fortnight in December and June of every year to design his collections.

To celebrate 60 years of Yves Saint Laurent, the courture icon's greatest works that reference famous art pieces, such as his A/W 1965 Hommage à Piet Mondrian dress that references Mondrian’s Composition en rouge, will be showcased alongside the artworks that inspired the designs at six art museums in Paris from January 29th until May 15th 2022. These locations include the Louvre Museum, the Picasso Museum and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum.