Moroccan-Dutch designer Said Mahrouf teamed up with stylist Ali El Yahiaoui to shoot his Spring 2017 lookbook in Cairo. Mahrouf, who is based in Casablanca, was invited as the guest of honor at Cairo Fashion Festival, which took place in November 2016. While there, he seized the opportunity to work with an all-Egyptian crew to deliver his vision. “We wanted to work with Arab models on this project because we think that’s very important. There’s not a lot of representation when it comes to the diversification of our cultural identity, but we are glad that this is changing,” says El Yahiaoui. “[The muse] can be from anywhere––she can be from Egypt, Kuwait, or the Emirates,” El Yahiaoui tells Vogue Arabia.
Photographed by Batool Al Daawi, the collection takes shape through bold striping that contours the female figure. Mahrouf shares with Vogue Arabia: ”The resonating message of this collection was inspired by the lines in the material, key in expressing one’s beauty and embracing a female’s physique.” Indeed, the material plays a leading role. A woven striped fabric found by Mahrouf in his atelier was the starting point that inspired him to manipulate the linear pattern into soft highlights. Structured silhouettes mold the body (as seen on a long one-shoulder top featuring origami folds), befitting of their muse: a strong, yet ultra-feminine Arab woman.
Credits:
Photographer: Batool Al Daawi
Styling: Ali El Yahiaoui
Production: Blow Creative Studio
Makeup Artist: Soha Khoury
Hair Stylist: KRISS Beauty Salons
Models: Heba El Dessouky and Sarah Bombosh
