Saint Laurent Dabbles in Ceramics

08/16/2021

CERAMIC FANTASTIC: Fashion designers definitely have a thing for ceramics.

Saint Laurent’s creative Anthony Vaccarello is the latest to dabble in clay, conscripting stoneware specialist Mathilde Martin to create an array of artistic vessels that are now on sale at the Saint Laurent Rive Droite Paris boutique, the Los Angeles store and at ysl.com/rive-droite.

Vaccarello said he was inspired by the Majorelle gardens in Marrakech, where there is an Yves Saint Laurent museum, which are dotted with large and colorful vases.

Martin uses Burgundy sandstone, a demanding material that offers a subtle and nuanced palette. “I look at an object at every stage, from all angles. As there is no color, raw materials, natural enamels, the impact of light is important,” the ceramist explains on her website.

A Saint Laurent vase in collaboration with Mathilde Martin. Courtesy

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, his longtime companion and business partner, bought the Majorelle garden in 1980 to prevent it from falling into the hands of a promoter, and turned it into an attraction.

The museum houses a permanent exhibition space showcasing the late designer’s work, a temporary exhibition area, a research library, a store, a café with an outdoor terrace and a 150-seat auditorium that can host talks, concerts and film screenings.