Rabat – Palestinian fashion designer, founder and owner of Accademia, Di Moda Saher Okal has expressed satisfaction with the Moroccan Caftan at the Morocco Fashion Show in Marrakech.
“The Moroccan Caftan always steals attention,” he told Morocco World News on the sidelines of the show. “The work and details in the pieces that Moroccan designers give us show a different splendor at Parisian fashion shows.”
The designer also expressed excitement to see how new talents are working with the Caftan and the new details they can produce.
Okal considered his presence at the event “very important” to promote the talent of Palestinian designers and expose their efforts to the world at large.
“The graduates accomplished great work, I hope attendees will like what they saw from the Academia Di Moda graduates,” he said. “They worked on a different inspiration for each different person.”
Their work is more modern, Okal reckoned, drawing attention to the types of fabric and colors that the designers used.
The designer also spoke of his happiness at being in the North African country for the first time, saying that he’s excited for the attendees to witness what he expects to be an excellent fashion show.
Morocco Fashion Week
The Morocco Fashion Week featured celebrations of the culture and charm of Morocco’s red city, which is hosting the event.
At a press conference held on Friday, several speakers offered glowing views of the city, and the appeal of Moroccan fashion.
“The fashion show aims to develop the image of marrakech at the local and international level,” Hind Joudar, the event’s founder, told MWN, adding that the event is mainly aimed at sharing expertise and know-how to benefit Morocco.
The event is also set to provide a platform for young designers, letting them develop their talents and projects, with a competition between students from various modeling schools being one of the event’s centerpieces.
The competition’s prize will allow the winning students to present their designs at a fashion show in Paris in June. The Jury of the competition will feature some of the Arab world’s most notable fashion figures, including Zineb El Joundy, Said Mahlouf, Hany El Behairi, and Okal himself.
The fashion event is also organized in partnership with shopping center M Avenue, whose founder Nabil Slitine said that it could be a “cultural destination” to promote young talents and creators.
Diverse designs on the runway
The fashion show’s runway debuted on Friday, featuring works from Moroccan culture as well as international haute couture and ready-to-wear designs.
The runway featured 11 fashion shows featuring renowned designers and young talents, beginning with Kazakhstani designer Hanum Aidash, whose collection “Kumdagy Izder” (Footprints on sand in English) took inspiration from nature.
French reality television star Marine El Himer also featured her collection at the show, which was inspired by her conversion to Islam.
El Himer’s collection featured a line of Abayas for women who want to remain elegant and feminine while wearing modest Islamic clothing, with the French designer saying she wanted to modernize the clothing article while maintaining its authenticity.
Moroccan-Italian designer Zineb Hazim had a similar goal at the show’s opening, using modern fabrics such as tweed, denim, and jersey cotton to make Abayas with a modern touch.
The Morocco Fashion Week began on March 8 and is set to conclude on March 12, after showcasing more than 20 haute couture, Caftans, and ready-to-wear fashion houses. As its first day coincided with International Women’s Day, the event has also been cast as a platform to celebrate women designers.
Read also: Maroc Fashion Week’s Runway Features Diverse, Stunning Designs
