Morocco: A Fashion Inspiration
Morocco has always been a source of inspiration for many designers in the fashion industry. Like Yves Saint-Laurent, the vivid colors and bohemian styles have attracted and inspired different designers around the world. Do you know which other brands used the Moroccan style as a fashion inspiration for their collection? No? So, let’s explore it.
Do you know that traditional Moroccan shoes called babouche slippers have inspired many brands and were seen on several runaways? In 2016, luxurious brands like Gucci, Celine, or Dolce & Gabbana all added the traditional babouche to their collections, but with a modern twist. For example, Gucci has been selling for a few years now the leather babouche slippers with fur. The traditional Moroccan accessory was clearly a fashion inspiration to the designers and is still a successful piece of their collection.
For their 2017 spring collection, the American brand, Kate Spade New York, which sells a variety of apparel from handbags, clothes, shoes to jewelry, got its inspiration from Morocco. The collection consisted of a variety of detailed, flowery and feminine colorful attires. Also, pom poms, ruffles, bright bags, and Berber inspired headwear were part of the collection. Many of the jewelry was made of small colorful camel charms with pom poms. The Moroccan inspired collection was very vibrant and combined the souks vitality and the Majorelle garden serenity. According to the brand, being in Marrakesh or Midtown Manhattan wasn’t that much different after all. Both places are crowded, filled with life and action. So why not make a collection about it? For Kate Spade New York, the colors and accessories worn in the streets of Marrakech were great sources of inspiration.
A more mid-range company that is also inspired by Morocco is the Spanish retailer Zara. Indeed, for their 2019 spring-summer collection, the bohemian spirit of Morocco is at the center stage. The collection, which is a mix of beige and red colors, consists mostly of leather sandals, turbans, and large earrings. Bold accessories are put forward. The beige colors of the fabrics and jewelry are greatly inspired by the Sahara Desert and the Moroccan sunsets. However, it is not the first time that Zara soaks up in the Moroccan vibes. In the previous spring-summer collection in 2018, Zara presented a variety of caftan dresses and other fashionable items that had the Moroccan inspired essence.
As seen previously, brands from different continents and countries noticeably consider Morocco as a fashion inspiration offering a variety of collections that reminisce the vivid colors of the streets, but also the use of beige tons from the serenity of the Moroccan desert.
The growing visibility of Morocco as a fashion inspiration for many successful brands collections helps to promote the heritage of the Moroccan culture to the world. Moroccan Birds has the mission of supporting and valuing ancestral techniques of jewelry making.
