When tradition enhances modernity

In many ways, the Kingdom of Morocco is a very peculiar country with outstanding people and culture.

First of all, it is the most Western of all Islamic countries having roots in both its Arab Muslim identity and in the African continent, while having its leaves blossoming in Europe only 14 kilometers away through the Strait of Gibraltar. Righteously, Morocco is also referred to as the land of contrasts and breathtaking landscapes. Where else in the world can you see the Mediterranean Sea meet the Atlantic ocean? The legendary Atlas Mountains knocking at the door of the Moroccan Sahara desert? Eternal snow hills overlooking hot sunny kasbahs and oasis?

Thanks to its geostrategic position and special geography much like Turkey, Morocco has always been at the crossroads of many cultures coming from east, north and south. This melting pot of people was mainly due to the regional trade routes which all converged to Morocco and resulted in a culture of tolerance and openness toward different religious faiths and ethnicities.

In fact, Moroccans are truly the most Western of Oriental people sharing many common traits with our beloved Turkish friends. Yet, in the Kingdom, we highly value traditions because we believe they enhance modernity. This is particularly true in many fields from fashion to beauty, gastronomy to architecture and design and so on and so forth.

Moroccan fashion for example is a unique combination of tradition, authenticity, world-renowned elegance and feminity. In my country we have jealously kept the traditional dress commonly called caftan. By definition, "caftan" is a long, rather large dress with or without a specially crafted belt. It is very rich in terms of print, form and flows all at once, which underlines a woman's grace and highlights both her beauty and personality. Beyond fashion, the dress code is a social pillar for us in any social gathering.

From 'Eid or Bayram to wedding ceremonies, the caftan is synonymous to celebration, joy and family reunion. We are proud to say the long dresses of the West have never found their way into our culture, because we believe they could never compete with the glamour and smart of our caftans.

When compared to the colors, textures, fabrics and imagination the caftan allows, Western dresses feel quite bland and unfancy and there are many good reasons for that. Wearing caftans is a delight because you are not only wearing a great piece of art but you are also its designer.

Indeed, in our tradition, every woman or bride designs her own dress with love and very special care. The journey starts with the choice of fabric. Would I choose silk? Or rather velvet? What about satin or even lace? Then which colors would best suit? How many layers shall I have? Which thread-made button technique shall I request?

Many questions that require focus, imagination, great sense of coordination and surely the priceless advice of a family member along with the trusted family tailor.

Indeed, weaving a caftan is the process of creating a masterpiece of fashion that magnifies appearance and at the same time socially demonstrates a sign of taste, know-how and prestige highly valued and sought during ceremonies. This is perhaps the main reason everybody eagerly awaits social gatherings in curiosity and excitement.

As gossip stirs, glances and attention are all focused on who is wearing what type of caftan, hence nurturing ideas for the next event to come. As for any tradition, one can legitimately wonder when the caftan initiation starts? How is it perpetuated from generation to generation? You may be surprised to learn that our little girls start wearing caftans in their very early years. Families are proud to have their little ones taking part in social or religious ceremonies like little ladies happy to imitate their mothers by wearing adorable caftans specially made for them.

Back in the old days, caftans were worn exclusively by men. At some point in history, Moroccan ladies dared to break this norm and managed to not only adopt it but totally reinvent it as a customized, fashionable and even feminine dress while perfectly complying with Islamic values. Hence, the caftan also stands as the symbol of a freedom longfought for.

Our women strongly stood for their rights, and elegance is an important one. That is why they have also taken the freedom to influence it their own way, and had it evolve throughout centuries so that every generation could add their touch in accordance with their own time, while at the same time preserving caftan authenticity basics.

Unexpectedly nowadays, the Moroccan caftan has also allowed another form of freedom and emancipation that many contemporary women around the world should learn from. Believe it or not, but whatever your appearance, you are the perfect model when you wear a caftan.

No fashion dictate, no unfairly set standards of weight, height or waist measurement can ever deny the caftan magic on any female femininity. The fabric print, flow, cut, color altogether collude to make ladies appear their best and be proud of their body forgetting about the dictatorship of Western fashion norms. Yes, Moroccan caftan wisdom values a universal truth: All women are beautiful.

However, few Western designers know how to sublimate them like the caftan does. That's most probably why Western designers set a mainstream standard to fit their limited abilities alone.

Talking about design and the fashion industry, another important aspect about our national pride is that we, Moroccan women, with our treasured caftan tradition, have been able to challenge Western fashion concepts not only in terms of beauty standards but through the achievement of international expansion in a way that arouses admiration and respect for our culture from the outsiders' point of view. As a matter of fact, nowadays worldwide show business stars, Oprah Winfrey, Elizabeth Taylor, Susan Sarandon, Uma Thurman and Beyoncé among others, have adopted the Moroccan caftan as the ultimate smart trend mixing elegance, ethnicity and fashion.

If these wonderful showbiz ambassadors of Moroccan caftans were ever not convincing enough, it is worth highlighting that Moroccan fashion is granted the prestigious "Haute Couture" French label. Starting from hand-made pieces to unicity, fabric quality and handcrafted works like embroidery, beading or crystal gems, this well-deserved label brings to mind that the caftan meets the very high expectations of what makes a dress prestigious and valuable.

The cut, color, form, handicraft techniques used to produce a caftan are so various and complex that it could be taught as the subject of a university course. Moroccan caftan manufacturing is acknowledged to be an art because it is all hand-made and takes time to complete, making it is so preciously valued. It takes up to four "maalem" or "masters" to design one piece of caftan. Each "maalem" has their own capability and area of specialization: the cut for the particular form and flow of caftans, thread-made buttons and the hand-weaving and seaming, on-request embroidery, belt crafting using a vast range of techniques and tools. These "maalem" together form a temple of technical know-how, passed down over time from mother to daughter or father to son that make today's caftan majesty and unique chic a treasured patrimony.

Food for thought : did you know that Ottoman caftans originally came from Morocco few centuries ago? Taking into account the close cultural bounds and similarities between Turkey and Morocco, it is unfortunate that we are no more sharing one of our best-valued symbols because it was given away ever since. But who knows, if by any chance Turkish ladies changed their mind, we still would be there to reintroduce the caftan anytime they wave.