Style Story/ Cyrielle & Julien
6 years ago by
Garance first met Cyrielle & Julien in Marrakech when she went in June for her scouting trip for our retreat. She came back buzzing about how cool this couple was, and mentioned they had an incredible riad.
Fast forward a few weeks to when we were deep in our retreat planning and we were lucky enough to organize our final dinner of the trip at Riad Jardin Secret, which Cyrielle & Julien own. The riad was not taking bookings for meals for non-guests at the time but they are incredibly kind and welcomed our large group of 30 with open arms.
It was such a special evening and as soon as we had the chance to meet them in person, Pia knew she had to go back during the daytime to capture their incredibly cool style and all of the intricate beauty of their beautiful riad. Cyrielle & Julien are Parisian transplants who worked in fashion, and are now building a new life in Marrakech, and I’m so happy for you to meet them today.
Describe your style in 3 words.
Cyrielle: Free, instinctive and feminine.
Julien: Workwear, denim and boots.
What’s most important when it comes to style: comfort, beauty, or innovation?
Cyrielle: Comfort & beauty
Julien: A mix of all, as I will wear exactly the same clothes to go to work or to ride my bike.
Most valued thing in your closet?
Cyrielle: A YSL black jacket from my mother.
Julien: I’ve kept all my old t-shirts since the late 90’s. Even if I only wear white t-shirts now, I keep on buying t-shirts with logos from concerts to custom builders I follow or skateboard brands. They are like a timeline of my closet.
Do you have a fashion muse?
Cyrielle: I was always inspired by women around me like my mom, my aunt, my friends…
I like Françoise Hardy, she has something natural, something special in her style and in her eyes, you can see something even more intense behind her beauty.
Julien: No.
When you feel the most comfortable and happy – what are you wearing?
Cyrielle: Levi’s jeans and a white shirt. I always add one strong piece to make my look more interesting.
Julien: I usually go with my uniform, t-shirt, denim and boots.
How has your move to Marrakech influenced your style?
Cyrielle: My style became more effortless since I moved to Marrakech. No more high heels, it’s more about being respectful to the Moroccan culture, and being comfortable.
What about your culture?
Cyrielle: I was lucky enough to be born and raised in Paris, surrounded by architecture, culture, art. Parisian culture is not a culture of showing off, so I’m totally fine here in Marrakech, wearing what I want. It’s always about being yourself, and again being respectful of the Moroccan culture. I will never wear a short skirt here! Never!
Julien: My style is a reflection of all my passions from 70’s metal music to skateboarding, heritage and vintage motorcycles.
I always been a geek, I like to find the right thing, like if I was looking for a piece of history a style with an enduring and timeless quality.
Can you describe your life in Marrakech?
Cyrielle: My life here in Marrakech is exactly what I was looking for. I’m running a real authentic hotel with my husband, Julien. We have put all our heart and soul in to renovating it. I have always considered myself a free women, here I have the possibility to do whatever I want!
My passion has always been analog photography. With Julien we can go on road trips, discover new people, learn more about the Moroccan culture, and take pictures with my old 70’s camera. We are living the Moroccan dream!
Julien: We moved to Marrakech because of its light and its color. Routine doesn’t exist here thanks to our Riad. Our new life is all about surprise, meeting new people, riding in the desert…We feel free.
Hi, I really enjoyed this style story, Cyrielle and Julien are so cool and their Ryad looks so welcoming and warm. They wear clothes from brand not represented a lot on this website, and I love how they depict Morocco and how tolerant they sound! I really want to visit their Ryad now!
However, I am a little bit uncomfortable with all the amazing Moroccan labels presented here like LRNCE or Chabicchi. The products looks amazing and are supposed to be hand-made in Morocco, but they are really expensive, the owners are not Moroccan, are the Moroccan workers paid in regard to the high prices? I have this feeling of lack of inclusivity, I would have loved to see Moroccan people or Moroccan-owned brand. Have you presented a single person from Morocco (or with Moroccan roots except Garance =D) Same thing with all the people involved in the retreat, not that I want to go full SJW here, but all the women seemed young, beautiful, slim, rich… Maybe because I am more aware of the contrast between this idealized vision of Morocco and the reality there for the majority of people
Anyway, cheers to everyone, the people presented here are obviously super cool :) I just wish to see more relatable content for people with a budget or in representation…
My exact thoughts, already commented something similar on the Hammam post and how it made me feel uneasy to see my culture represented by a non-moroccan woman, i would have loved to see an actual moroccan be the voice of our culture, it’s not too much to ask.
“We moved to Marrakech because of its light and its color. Routine doesn’t exist…”
What a wonderful pursuit of beauty, creativity and joy of openness. The colors and light are a dream.
Bonjour,
quel est le modèle du jean levis de Cyrielle svp?
Could you tell me which Levi’s jeans model Cyrielle is wearing please?
Merci!/thx!
Hi Lucie!
The jeans are Levi’s 501.
Tori x
*_*
I can’t believe I had the opportunity to visit this amazing place and meet Julien during the retreat in Marrakech. Too bad we missed meeting Cyrielle! Their style is beautiful! The place is truly amazing and unique. The food for dinner was delicious and this is definitely a wonderful destination. It may not be a “secret” much longer since it shouldn’t be missed!! :)
Such an interesting couple, I love their Riad and must go there. Saving this story just for that!
Inspiring feature. Beautiful.