MYSLM — Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech
The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech (MYSLM) is a dedicated museum celebrating the life and creative legacy of French couturier Yves Saint Laurent, who first visited Marrakesh in 1966 and drew lasting inspiration from the city’s colours, architecture, and light. Opened in October 2017 and designed by architects Studio KO, the building fuses Moroccan craftsmanship with contemporary forms, housing permanent collections of haute couture garments, accessories, and archival sketches alongside a dedicated space for temporary exhibitions. A virtual 360° tour extends access to audiences worldwide.
At a glance
- Type
- Fashion and design museum
- Period
- Opened 19 October 2017
- Style
- Contemporary, with Moroccan craftsmanship references (brick latticework facade)
- Location
- Marrakesh (Marrakech), Morocco
- Coordinates
- 31.6425° N, 8.0033° W
Overview
The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech stands beside the legendary Jardin Majorelle, the botanical garden that YSL and his partner Pierre Bergé purchased in 1980 and restored over decades. The museum was conceived by the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent to honour the designer’s bond with Morocco, a country he credited as transforming his relationship with colour. Its 4,000 square metres encompass permanent galleries, a temporary exhibition hall, an auditorium, a research library, and a Moroccan craft shop.
History
Yves Saint Laurent first came to Marrakesh in 1966 at the suggestion of artist Jean-Pierre Khlebnikoff, and the city’s ochre palettes, souks, and gardens became a recurring source of his most celebrated collections. After Saint Laurent’s death in 2008, Pierre Bergé resolved to establish a permanent museum in Marrakesh to complement the parallel YSL museum opened in Paris. The Marrakesh museum opened on 19 October 2017, the same day as its Paris counterpart, marking what would have been Saint Laurent’s 81st birthday.
What you see
The building’s exterior is clad in terracotta-coloured brickwork arranged in an intricate lattice screen that filters light in patterns evoking Moroccan moucharabieh screens. Inside, the permanent collection rotates around fifty haute couture garments and hundreds of archival objects — sketches, photographs, accessories — drawn from a total holding of thousands of pieces. A grand curved staircase links the exhibition floors, while the auditorium hosts talks, film screenings, and cultural events related to fashion history and Moroccan arts.
Cultural significance
MYSLM is among the first dedicated museums to a single couturier on the African continent, placing Marrakesh alongside Paris as an international centre for fashion heritage. It reinforces the deep creative dialogue between the Maghreb and European modernism that Saint Laurent embodied throughout his career, and it draws over 300,000 visitors annually, making it one of Morocco’s most visited cultural sites.
Practical information
- Address
- Rue Yves Saint Laurent, Marrakesh 40090, Morocco
- Hours
- Check official website for current opening times; closed Wednesdays
- Admission
- Check official website for current ticket prices
- Virtual tour
- 360° virtual tour available online
Getting there
The museum is located in the Gueliz district of Marrakesh, adjacent to the Jardin Majorelle on Rue Yves Saint Laurent. It is reachable by petit taxi from Jemaa el-Fna (approximately 10–15 minutes), by the city’s ALSA bus network, or on foot from central Gueliz. Marrakesh Menara International Airport is roughly 6 km away.