NORYA ARYON -The Best of Marrakech Fashion Design

We chat to Algerian-French designer, Norya aryoN’s, about her style, her influences and her sleek new flagship store

Famed for her flowing abayas (traditional long dresses) and re-imagined kaftans in a fabulous array of patterns and colours, Norya Aryon burst onto the Marrakech fashion scene in 2013, not quite realising that this happy accident would propel her onto the worldwide stage as a designer. She opened her sexy new flagship at the start of 2020, complete with gold-velvet draped dressing room. We wouldn’t expect anything less. 

EF: How did your label come about? 

I’d been making my own clothes since I was 15 years old because I didn’t want to go to school dressed like everybody else, and that’s very typical of women in Morocco too. There’s still a very strong culture of dress-making here, so I wanted to do something that would bring those traditional skills with a more European aesthetic together. I created my first few pieces in 10 days back in 2013 when I was given the keys to a little shop above Le Jardin and I was off. 

EF: Where do you get your inspiration?

I don’t really follow the fashion world. My inspiration is more about what I feel like wearing in the moment. I realise it’s a very egoist way to work, but it means I don’t have to follow trends or the seasons and I can produce pieces that reflect my mood. It’s always been very important to me to be different, and I do the same for my label. I prefer that everything is limited edition, and now that I produce lots of my own fabric I have asked my textile producer to limit production to 100 metres per print. Keeping that exclusivity is extremely important to me, because very time someone comes to the shop they see something new. 

EF: Tell us about the new collection for the new store? 

The capsule collection of abayas and kaftans will always be key because it’s just such a comfortable and elegant way to dress in Marrakech. This year I’ve added jumpsuits, long and short kimonos, a floor-length coat, snakeskin tote bags and a unisex perfume with base notes of sandalwood, musk and oud. And I’m going to be introducing a men’s wear line soon too.

Norya aryoN’s flagshop store is at 17 Rue Tarik Ben Ziad, Gueliz.