Fez — Vogue Arabia profiles Franco-Moroccan equestrian and designer Salma Tahri in its September issue, placing her world of Arabian horses, modest fashion, and Moroccan craftsmanship against the landscape of Ait Benhaddou.
Published on August 28, the feature was written by Jihane Bougrine and photographed by Alienor Gasper. It follows Tahri, known online as “La Cavalière Élégante,” as she reflects on the horses, family history, and cultural references that shaped her increasingly international profile.
Tahri was born in France to Moroccan parents from Ouazzane and Larache. Before building her equestrian platform, she trained as an engineer and lived in several countries, including the UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia.
Her connection with horses developed later in life, but her encounter with Arabian thoroughbreds in Morocco in 2022 became a turning point.
“I fell in love with them very quickly,” she told the magazine.
Horses as a return to Morocco
What began as an equestrian passion eventually led Tahri toward a family history she had not fully known.
She recalled learning from her father that her grandfather had also owned horses and had been a respected horseman. Her father later gave her her grandfather’s saddle, turning her interest in riding into what she described as a connection with her roots.
“The horses reconnected me to my roots,” Tahri said.
That relationship now shapes “Filly Paris,” the fashion label she founded and designs. The brand brings together modest clothing, equestrian equipment, and silhouettes influenced by the elegance and movement of Arabian horses.
Tahri’s riding videos also helped introduce that aesthetic to a much wider audience. Her online visibility eventually caught the attention of Madonna, who contacted her ahead of New Year celebrations and asked to ride with her.
Tahri said she initially thought the message was fake.
“I was shocked when I got the message,” she recalled. “I thought, ‘This can’t be real. It must be a fake account.’”
Aït Benhaddou becomes the backdrop
For the “Vogue Arabia” shoot, Tahri traveled with her horses to Ait Benhaddou in Ouarzazate province, where the earthen architecture and surrounding plains became part of the editorial’s visual language.
UNESCO lists the Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou as a World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1987, and describes it as a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture.
Tahri also created a one-of-a-kind artwork from a recycled saddle for the shoot. The piece took three weeks to complete and incorporated geometric patterns and golden arabesques inspired by Islamic and Andalusian ornamentation.
Another look involved a collaboration with Alghorza, a cooperative that Tahri said supports deaf women through traditional craftsmanship and professional certification.
Her ambitions now extend beyond individual fashion pieces. Tahri told the magazine that she wants to build a globally recognized luxury house that is clearly identified as Moroccan. She is also developing handcrafted saddles designed as both functional equestrian equipment and collectible objects.
The “Vogue Arabia” feature captures that ambition at a moment when Tahri’s work is moving beyond viral horseback imagery. By bringing horses, fashion, craftsmanship, and family memory together, she is using an increasingly global platform to present Moroccan heritage as something living, personal, and open to reinvention.
