What’s happening in the Moroccan fashion scene? Shoelifer has taken a moment of introspection to discover the most promising young Moroccan designers of the moment. Here are three that caught our eye.
A brand inspired by the style of the British royal family in the 90s, another reinterpreting three traditional caftans into everyday outfits, and a last one reinventing—and diverting—the formal wardrobe of executives… Indeed, young designers have more than one trick up their sleeves. Let’s meet three Moroccan creators—and their worlds—to keep a close eye on.
1/ Late for Work – Youssef El Idrissi
A graduate of Casa Moda Academy in 2018, Youssef El Idrissi participated in the International Festival of Fashion in Africa (FIMA) held in 2019 in Dakhla and won the first prize in the “young designers” category. This award, giving him sudden visibility, prompted him to create his own brand: Late for Work. The idea? Bring together two worlds: the formal wardrobe of white-collar workers with the wardrobe of 90s youth. “It’s like taking young people from the street to take them to work,” explains Youssef, hence the name of the brand. The result: feminine and unisex pieces, quirky and unique. For his looks, he draws inspiration from his environment and transforms kitschy everyday materials—Chinese blankets, Raja bath towels, kitchen tablecloths—creating unexpected blends by mixing them with denim or poplin. He doesn’t hesitate to do upcycling, like when he transforms sleeves into closures or collars with imposing knots, for a playful touch. The designer, who has already launched two collections, will present the third in September 2022. We can’t wait!
Late for Work Wear
Price: Starting from 1500 DH, up to 15,000 DH for unique pieces
Fittings by appointment, contact via DM
2/ Lagertha – Ansar El Yacoubi
After graduating, Ansar El Yacoubi studied fashion design and creation at Casa Moda Academy, and her first collection—inspired by nuns—received the Jury’s Crush at the end of her third year. The young stylist then worked for the Moroccan magazine TLBB, joined Ali Drissi’s team for a year, before venturing into modeling (Off-White and Burberry campaigns, as well as for Vogue Arabia and L’Officiel Indonesia). With the arrival of Covid, she was forced to return to Morocco and joined the Petit Bateau team as a stylist before taking the plunge and launching her own brand in March 2021: Lagertha. Its name refers to a Viking—the companion of the famous Ragnar—a strong woman “who was the only one allowed to fight alongside men,” as Ansar points out. With Lagertha, the young designer draws inspiration from the style of the British royal family in the 90s, reinvents it, and designs dresses and skirt or pants sets for women that she makes in high-quality fabrics. Her specificity? She applies tailoring and finishing to all her pieces to create “a perfect fit for the shape of women of all shapes and ages.” Thus, her pieces are tailored, made to measure, to the body type of her customers. We love her buttoned pieces that make us think that timeless chic is indeed back.
Lagertha
Price: Pants starting from 1800 DH, jackets at 3000 DH, coats between 4000 and 5,500 DH.
Fittings by appointment, contact via DM
3/ Ladraa – Mouad Ladraa
Mouad Ladraa, who has been drawing dresses since his early childhood, always wanted to create clothes. For his parents, it’s out of the question, and the young man, under family pressure, went on to study interior architecture. However, he did not lose sight of his first passion and saved his money to launch his first collection, which he presented at a fashion show at the French Institute in 2019. Today, he has opened his own creative workshop, where he presents both his collections of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and receives clients wishing to modify some of their pieces. In his latest capsule collection, Rebirth, presented at Galerie A2 on June 21, he explores the evolution of the Moroccan wardrobe by reinterpreting three flagship caftans (khrib, dfina, lkbira). His goal? To make them more functional and adapt them to the daily lives of today’s women. The caftan then departs from its traditional ceremonial function to transform into a dress, jacket, or shirt that can be easily worn on the street. Floral prints, punk spirit, brocade reappropriation… The expression “between tradition and modernity” makes perfect sense here.
Ladraa
Price: Pieces from the Rebirth collection between 2000 and 2500 DH
Source : Lagertha
