“Marrakech taught me colour. Before Marrakech, everything was black” – Yves Saint Laurent
So obviously, my last trip had to be to Marrakesh. During my trip, I paid a visit to Jardin De Marjolle, which housed Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge throughout much of their lives. The Jardin De Marjolle was originally started by Jacques Majorelle and was purchased by the pair in 1980 who endeavoured to preserve the property in all its splendour. Known best for its hues of vivid blue and sunshine yellow, the garden also plays home to 300 plant species as well as the infamous blue art deco studio: The Musee Berbere, which highlights the rich history of Morocco’s indigenous inhabitants. This is an interesting manoeuvrer to be owned by thus of a fashion house, as well all know- Fashion and Cultural Appropriation often walk a fine line between one another, however, it was nice to see YSL doing something to pay respect and tribute to the indigenous inhabitants of Morocco, rather than disregarding them like many fashion houses do.
The gardens also play home to a memorial of the pair, the memorial is an ancient pillar which was found by both Laurent and Berge on a beach in Tangier, Berge curated this space to pay tribute to his business and life partner and was added to it himself after he passed in 2017.
Further to this, a few doors down from the Gardens, in 2017, Musee Yves Saint Laurent was born. The museum holds a host of original sketches, photographs, designs, accessories and so much more, which acts as a love letter and memoir from the pair to the city that held so much sentiment to the pair throughout their personal and professional lives.
My top tips for visiting the Jardin De Marjolle:
1. Book in advance, it’s cheaper and will save you 3 hours of queuing- we booked in advance and just walked straight in
2. Where you can, utilise the QR codes around the building to allow you to see more in-depth details that the leaflets offer
3. Take some spending money- we surprisingly found the gift stores to be very reasonably priced and held several exclusive books written by Berge himself – a must-have for any YSL fan.
4. Get there early- it gets busy in the afternoon (& hot), so book for around 9/10am for a quieter experience
5. Dress in your favourite outfit and take your personal paparazzi with you- this is every Instagrammers heaven.
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