The Moroccan Kaftan and Fashion

The Moroccan Kaftan and Fashion

One of the most searched for terms on The View from Fez is the word "kaftan". While fashions come and go with increasing rapidity, there is something so alluring about kaftans that makes them timeless. Youssef Sourgo, writing for Morocco World News, waxes lyrical as he explores the reasons for the Kaftan's popularity

What could be the point in common between Mariah Carey, Hilary Clinton, Asala Nasri, Haifaa Wahbi, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Haddad and Jennifer Lopez? The answer is that all of these international female celebrities were enchanted by the majestic beauty of the Moroccan attire, the Kaftan.

Syrian super-star Asala Nasri

Alongside all the aforementioned names, innumerable female celebrities from all corners of the world have found a perfect match to their sublimity in the Moroccan Kaftan. Thanks to faithful, taste-refined Moroccan women abroad, who have been ambassadors of the Moroccan elaborate apparel, the Kaftan’s magic has found its path to women’s hearts worldwide.

HH Princess Lalla Salma (centre) 

HH Princess Lalla Salma has also had an unquestionable share in rendering Kaftan every woman’s aspiration abroad. Princess Lala Salma, topping the list of Moroccan female ambassadors of Kaftan, has always elegantly stood out of the crowd, dressed in refined Kaftan designs on a myriad of important ceremonies abroad, ranging from the crowning of a royal figure to an international conference on women’s rights.

It is no coincidence that the traditional Moroccan Kaftan continues to appeal to leading female figures in the world, even to those who have a sophisticated sense of fashion and modernity. The intricate attire, with its dazzling colors, composite designs and refined tissues easily espoused modern trends of fashion, thus astounding both fans of modernity and tradition in clothing.

Who could believe that Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, American’s international diva singers, who have for so long been engrossed in Western trends of fashion, would wind up falling in love with a traditional attire from the other sphere of the earth?

Who could believe that the most beautiful representative stars of the Arab world, the likes of Asala Nasri, Cherine, Ahlam and Diana Hadad would be attracted to the Moroccan attire while their cultures have their own distinctive traditional attires?

Credit has to be given ultimately to the tremendous efforts put into practice by Moroccan traditional designers. Kaftan’s current universal appeal will always be indebted to the professionalism and dedication of thousands of professional, traditional Moroccan designers. Kaftan’s early life kicked off in their romantic, humble shops, where handmade divinities were created.

Amazigh style kaftans

Credit has to be given, also, to all Moroccan women who have favored Kaftan over the myriad of fashion trades sweeping the world every second. Their persistence to keep the Kaftan an attire worn on most significant ceremonies, such marriages, festives and celebrations has kept the Kaftan in the spotlight.