From drawing to volume

Studio KO, founded by Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty, designed the museum. While studying the designer’s archives, the architects explored the relationship between straight and curved lines, flexibility and precision. Those contrasts inform the building’s volumes.

A façade like a weave

Brickwork creates relief and shadow that recall interlacing threads. The reference to couture is not merely a decorative motif: it appears in repetition, rhythm and the meeting of surfaces. As daylight changes, so does the reading of this woven exterior.

Inside and outside

The textured exterior meets a smoother interior. The museum compares this contrast to the lining of a jacket. It is a useful way to understand the architecture: the outer shell prepares an experience without revealing everything within.

Architecture that protects

Textile conservation requires careful environmental control. Storage areas were designed around preventive conservation requirements adapted to the local climate. This largely invisible technical dimension matters as much as the façade.

Sources for this chapter

Official museum introductionConsulted source · official museum communication

Official Yves Saint Laurent biographyConsulted source · official museum communication

Official visitor informationConsulted source · official museum communication

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