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The Jardin Majorelle known as the Yves Saint Laurent garden

Yves Saint Laurent’s relationship with Morocco was a strong influence on his work and his life. In Marrakesh, he found inspiration from the city that made its way into his fashion collection, such as the vibrant colours of fuchsia and turquoise in his designs. The garden in his final residence Villa Oasis, is most infamously known as the Yves Saint Laurent garden, which is none other than the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Morocco.

Jardin Marjorelle. Image by Von Chua.

Today, it is the most visited museum in Marrakech. In 2015, ahead of the opening of the highly anticipated Studio KO designed museum called the YSL Museum, the Jardin Majorelle attracted over 700,000 visitors. Independently located along the same street as Jardin Majorelle, the YSL Museum was funded through the profits made from the Jardin Majorelle. The YSL Museum opened in 2017 as a tribute to Yves Saint Laurent. Within the first three months of its opening, the YSL Museum drew over 30,000 visitors. As a visitor visiting Marrakesh for the very first time, this area and the museums such as the Jardin Majorelle quickly became confirmed as places that are worthy of visiting when in Marrakesh.  

Born in Oran, Algeria, Yves Saint Laurent had a similar upbringing to Jacques Majorelle. Jacques Majorelle was a French painter and artist born in Nancy, France, and had a strong affinity with Morocco. Jacques Majorelle was a French painter and artist who was born in Nancy, France and had a strong affinity with Morocco. Majorelle initially studied architecture but later turned to painting. In 1923, Majorelle purchased the land of the Jardin Majorelle that we know today. Majorelle began filling the garden with plants from around the work, and it became his living work of art. In 1980, Yves Saint Laurent along with his partner, Pierre Bergé, purchased the Jardin Majorelle and lived in Jacques Majorelle’s villa. The Jacques Majorelle’s villa was renamed the Villa Oasis during their ownership, and Yves Saint Laurent was said to have sketched and designed his work within this particular house during his stays in Marrakech.

Fourteen years before the purchase of Jardin Majorelle, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé first made a trip together to Morocco. The impressionable trip made its mark in their hearts and they decided to purchase a small house in the Medina. The small house was called Dar el-Hanch, translated as the Snake’s House, and would host Yves Saint Laurent a few times a year when he travelled to Morocco to work on his designs. During the release of the biographical book of Yves Saint Laurent, Laurence Benaim included a quote by Yves Saint Laurent himself, as follows:

Dar el-Hanch was a small house which we decorated modestly with tables and chairs found in the souks. The house bordered a vacant parcel of land which was called the Lemon Garden, behind which an alleyway led to the Bab Doukkala mosque. We spent many happy moments in this house.

In one interview with Pierre Bergé, he said that they discovered Marrakech in 1966 and never left. Pierre Bergé continued to live in Villa Oasis until his death in 2017. He also confirmed the deep influence of Marrakech, particularly the influence of colours in Yves Saint Laurent’s work. Speaking of colours, a defining characteristic of Jardin Majorelle is undoubtedly the vibrant Majorelle Blue paint used throughout the garden and the building. The colour was first created and later trademarked by Jacques Majorelle, hence, the name ‘Majorelle’ within the name of the colour. The Majorelle Blue’s formula is said to be a closely guarded secret blend of pigments. In the 20s and 30s, Jacques Majorelle lived and worked in Marrakech, exploring landscapes within his paintings and began working on the Jardin Majorelle as a side project starting in 1924. Majorelle chose the distinctive blue for the Jardin Majorelle and today, the Majorelle Blue shade is highly memorable and adds to the allure of the garden. The bright sunlight in Morocco appears to bring out and enhance the vibrancy of the Majorelle Blue to its viewer. Coupled with the lush greenery around the Jardin Majorelle, these blue and green shades really helped form part of the garden’s beauty that cannot be replicated elsewhere in the world. A restrained use of bright yellow and terracotta tones also adds to the Jardin Majorelle’s visual charm.

Walking around the Jardin Majorelle, one cannot help but wonder who planted the large collection of cactus. What is present today in the Jardin Majorelle is Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé work who significantly expanded the cactus collection from the 1980s. The bond that Yves Saint Laurent had with this 9,000 sqm place was undoubtedly strong, as he requested his ashes to be scattered within the Jardin Majorelle. Yves Saint Laurent continues to live at the Jardin Majorelle after passing away in 2008.