Yves Saint Laurent l'Africain

Yves Saint Laurent l'Africain by Laurence Benaïm, journalist, biographer of Yves Saint Laurent

Born in Oran in 1936, Yves Mathieu Saint Laurent, who became Yves Saint Laurent in 1958, has never ceased to pay homage to Africa through multiple imaginary journeys, sublimating the colors of the desert as well as those of the Moroccan gardens in his collections, his fetishes, as much as in his homes, notably in Marrakech and Tangier. This evocation aims to return to the source of a story fed by characters that haunt his aesthetic universe, queens, empresses, models, emblematic figures of a vision freed from all the taboos of the bourgeoisie of which he is the heir.

Guest speakers

Laurence Benaïm, journalist, biographer of Yves Saint Laurent

Imane Ayissi, Stylist, model and dancer, turned to haute couture, presenting his collections since 1992. In 2020, he became the first fashion designer from sub-Saharan Africa to join the Parisian Haute Couture and Ready-to-Wear Federation. While drawing inspiration from a textile tradition nourished by craftsmanship and know-how, he has always expressed in his fashion a contemporary vision of a liberated femininity, sharing many affinities with Yves Saint Laurent, particularly in terms of palettes, but also muses such as Katoucha who was his friend.

Juleah Love on the way YSL keeps alive the memory and heritage of Yves Saint Laurent as well as creating a meaningful project with a positive impact on the ecosystems and the local communities through the project of the Ourika gardens.