Studio KO’s Yves Saint Laurent Museum Opens in Marrakech

musée YVES SAINT LAURENT marrakech. Image © Nicolas Mathéus

A new museum dedicated to the life and work of French fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent has opened in the Moroccan capital of Marrakech. Designed by Studio KO, the building sits a short distance away from Jardin Majorelle – the home acquired by Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in 1980. With a large permanent exhibition space designed by scenographist Christophe Martin, showcasing the collections of it’s namesake, the museum also features temporary exhibition spaces, a research library and archives, an auditorium, bookstore, and a terrace café.

musée YVES SAINT LAURENT marrakech. Image © Nicolas Mathéus

Informed by the archives of Saint Laurent, Studio KO were “struck by curves running alongside straight lines; by the succession of delicate and bold forms.” As a result, the façade of the building appears as “an intersection of cubes with a lace-like covering of bricks,” forging patterns that “recall the weft and warp of fabric.”

musée YVES SAINT LAURENT marrakech (auditorium). Image © Nicolas Mathéus

musée YVES SAINT LAURENT marrakech (Interior Visualization). Image © studio KO

Scenography. Image © Christophe Martin Architectes