Yves Saint Laurent museum opens in Marrakesh, where iconic Mondrian dress will go on display
Museum includes many of the reclusive fashion designer’s iconic pieces and reflects the impact that the Moroccan city made on his imagination and appreciation of colour
A museum dedicated to the life and work of Yves Saint Laurent is set to opens its doors on Saturday, October 19 in Marrakesh, the Moroccan city he loved. The famed fashion designer was inspired by the fusion of Moroccan traditions and contemporary flair which he encountered in the city.
Following three years of work, technicians carried out final checks in a minimalist exhibition hall at the venue in the city that helped shape Saint Laurent’s imagination when he first arrived in the 1960s.
Iconic creations – from black “Le Smoking” tuxedo to Mondrian dress – will go on display, with the museum hoping to attract 300,000 visitors in its first year of opening.
“Marrakesh was a place of inspiration for Yves Saint Laurent,” said director Bjorn Dahlstrom as he surveyed the last touches being made to the museum.
The legendary French couturier was entranced by the “ochre city” when he discovered the vibrancy and easy-going atmosphere of its busy streets, overlooked by the Atlas Mountains, with his partner Pierre Bergé in 1966.
“It was the place of our meeting, of our love, of our work together,” said Bergé, describing it as “a time when morals were free and sexuality more unbridled”.
After dedicating his final years to “transforming these memories into projects”, the man who was both Saint Laurent’s business and life partner, for some 40 years, died aged 86 in September.
Hippy draw
When Saint Laurent came to Marrakesh, he was a designer known for working in black, but he said he “discovered colour” in the city and in the traditional dress of the women.