Meet the Moroccan designer modernising the traditional caftan

A Moroccan fashion designer has made it her mission to modernise the traditional caftan. The garment recently made it onto the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kenza Bennani is at her shop inside Marrakech's La Mamounia Hotel.

A variety of modern caftans are displayed in the New Tangier boutique, each with its own unique color, fabric and cut, inspired by Moroccan heritage but designed for everyday wear, not only for special occasions.

"We design modern Moroccan clothes with a focus on different origins as we are a crossroad of different civilisations historically. And so we try to reinterpret these different cuts and different heritages in a way that is contemporary," says Bennani.

The work is done in her grandmother's house.

It's here where she sits and sketches new designs, carefully selecting the right color and texture from fabric swatches.

The result is a little different from the caftans her ancestors would have worn.

"We're focusing on the form and the function of traditional Moroccan clothes, and not focusing on the ornamental aspect, which is generally what is expected of Moroccan clothing, and that way that allows us to really kind of highlight the beauty of the cut and the modernity of the cuts, and the fact that they're extremely body-friendly, they're unisex, they're the same shapes for men and women, and we try to just really don't invent anything new. We're just really kind of digging into the history of Moroccan clothing," she says.

National identity

Her work has won the praise of Hicham Bouzid, creative director of the cultural agency "Think Tanger”.

For him, the Moroccan caftan is a symbol of national identity, passed down from mother to daughter, and from master to apprentice, for over eight centuries.

"The Moroccan fashion and the Moroccan tradition has, as always, wearing beautiful gowns and caftans and very heavily traditionally Moroccan clothing, that is part of our identity. But I think what's important here that New Tangier does is getting inspired and getting work done from the cuts, from the very basic traditions of those same clothing, but taking them out from the closet. So we don't need to be going to a specific wedding or a celebration to wear those gowns, but we really can actually wear the Moroccan traditional clothing on an everyday level, an everyday event," he says.

Artisans bring her designs to life in the basement of the house, tracing the pattern on fabric, sewing the cloth together, carefully cutting each piece.

Their skill is just as important as the designer’s.

The process of creating a single garment takes between 18 and 35 hours.

Bennani is very strict about what materials are used.

"We work exclusively with natural fibres, so it's wools, linens, cottons, and silks. Everything is sourced locally because we try to keep a sustainable approach, which means that we don't want to import fabric, but it also means that it makes our job finding fabric much more complicated because most of the market is polyester, unfortunately, and we try to absolutely not engage with that kind of production," she says.

Moroccan caftans have been given an international boost.

In December, they were added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

"I think there's a bright future ahead in the sense that there's enormous creativity and I think more and more young designers are starting to shine on the international platforms, whether it's in haute couture or in contemporary ready-to-wear or even in accessories. We have some amazing brands. We have a lot of obstacles, obviously, but I think the key is going to be focus on being as local as possible and kind of in a way de-globalising things," says Bennani.