Fashioning the Future – Marrakech Fashion Special

In a world of cut and paste fashion, Marrakech is filled with young designers creating unique pieces that channel the creative spirit of the city. And in the space of just a few years, the city has transformed from a place packed with traditional clothing, to a city teeming with independent fashion thanks to its combination of creative spirit, artisanal heritage and expert craftsmanship. 

If you want to shop local and independent fashion, Marrakech is the place to be. 

Drawing on Morocco’s artisanal traditions of tailors and seamstresses, this new generation is combining those handmade elements with a modern design aesthetic. Hanout is one of the new crop of independent labels that’s increasingly drawing visitors to the city. 

‘Handmaking is part of our culture and I was born into that universe because my mum, sisters and aunties all did something like knitting and sewing,’ says founder Meriem Nour. ‘But I started to get a more precise vision when I did some courses at Central St Martins while living in London and decided to start making tops and dresses with handmade details when I moved back to Morocco.’

 

 

Ten years on, Meriem designs everything from tailored jackets to printed separates for Hanout, which is known for its elevated take on day and party wear with a colourful Seventies vibe. As well as two shops in the medina, and an online store, Hanout is also stocked in boutiques everywhere from America to France. But the beauty of shopping for the label in Marrakech is that you can visit Hanout’s atelier and get pieces customised to your exact measurements. 

The rise of independent labels is a new chapter of Morocco’s fashion story because while the iconic fashion houses have long been inspired by the country and its craft – Yves Saint Laurent, who had a home in Marrakech, was famously inspired by Marrakech, while Dior chose the Palais Bahia as the backdrop to show its 2020 Cruise Collection – few homegrown designers had made a mark internationally. 

 

 

But now all this is changing thanks to brands including Marrakshi Life, which had worldwide exposure when Sarah Jessica Parker wore their ‘Touarag’ dress on an episode of And Just Like That in 2023, and haute couture designers such as Sara Chraibi and Artsi Ifraich, whose work was shown at London Fashion Week in February 2025. 

You can find work by many of the city’s most exciting designers here at El Fenn because we partner with them to create exclusive lines for our boutique. From designers repurposing vintage haik rugs into shoes, to those creating hand sewn cotton separates featuring traditional embroidery, the clothes and accessories we stock channel Marrakech’s unique vibe.

It’s an increasingly important part of the Marrakech story, says El Fenn’s artistic director Yann Dobry.

‘Fashion in Morocco had long been split between huge industrial production for export in places like Tangier and Casablanca at one end, and tailors making traditional clothing at the other,’ he says. ‘But it’s changing for the young generation who are working with Moroccan fashion archives and doing something more contemporary. They want to honour their heritage but reinterpret it to suit modern tastes.’

 

 

The new generation of Marrakchi designers often create limited edition pieces with hand-worked elements such as embroidery and pleating. Omar Oubaich for instance, who founded his eponymous label in 2020, brought stitching experts from Fez and Meknes to train the team of seamstresses who make his intricately detailed pieces. 

Now the Oubaich boutique is filled with intricately hand-worked dresses, shirts, skirts, coats, capes and jackets in cotton voile, velvet, silk and linen. In 2024, Patricia Arquette wore two Oubaich pieces on the red carpet at the Marrakech Film Festival.

‘It’s undeniable now that people are coming to Marrakech for fashion,’ says Omar. ‘Our clients tell us they find high quality pieces here that they can’t get elsewhere because it’s all about creating a unique look. They know they’ll never walk into a party with someone else wearing the same pieces and that’s part of the appeal.’