“Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them.” - Marc Jacobs
Beyond style and comfort, fashion has the power to bring people together. After all, it takes an entire team to weave a dress, or an outfit, much more to pull together an entire show that gives voice to mostly women. Indeed, fashion unites women of diverse cultures, and empowers next generation industry leaders.
AsiaTV and AfricaTV Studios, an advertising company dedicated to promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, supported by the World Congress of Youth Councils in Morocco, opened the summer with a first of its kind fashion show. Where traditional meets modern, the latest of Moro and Moroccan designs came together in the city of fashion Marrakech, in celebration of womanhood and a shared heritage.
This comes as after the full house screening of InPaglayag, a documentary about the history of Muslims in the Philippines whom Spaniards referred as “Moros,” a term which resembled their previous conquests in the Moorish empire.
Woman to Woman : MoroxMorocco
Philanthropists, diplomats, marketers and influencers travelled from around Morocco, including Assilah, Tangier, Kenitra, Rabat, Casa Blanca, Fes, Marrakesh, as well as North-South Philippines, for this very first fashion experience. With the support of the Philippine Embassy in Rabat, Morocco Duty Free, Rotary International, the 3-day event was held on the sidelines of the Modest Fashion Council’s Togethere Summit.
Featured Designers:
HERs LAHA is a strong advocate of the cultural heritage of Bangsamoro through wavering artistry. HERs LAHA Atelier, is the first luxe modest wear in the Philippines, established last 2016 in creating unique pieces rich with cultural design, with each abaya custom made with a unique signature identity. It’s vision is to amplify the stories of Moro heritage through rural women empowerment in the post-conflict Southern region of Mindanao. In this show, the Inaul was featured, one of the finest handwoven fabrics in the Philippines.
FAIDYS is a fully fledged Moroccan cult brand and social enterprise created in celebration of identity and this shared planet. It is a conscious, eco-friendly, nature loving fashion brand which starts with collecting disposed fabrics from factories and reusing them into designs. It’s objective is to reduce waste and support local artisans and women, to create clothes that not only makes people look good but it makes them feel good about what it stands for.
With guest designer from Marrakesh, featuring kimonos by Yass Brand : Where Asia Meets Africa
Program Flow:
Day 1. High Tea Reception with private “Inaul” fashion viewing and Duty Free product sampling of influencers at the Royal Mansour Hotel
Day 2. Fashion Show at Les Jardins de la Koutoubia Roofdeck co-organized by Protocol Studio, with a hybrid runway by HERsLAHA x Faidys, and the editor’s private collection Zineb Joundy x Baby Miranda
The show supported women of all beauties, sizes and backgrounds, with the special appearance of Miss Morocco Arabic Amina Elhouani, with special coverage by Reuters Photographer of the Year Youssef Boudlal.
The show supported the designers’ advocacies of entrepreneurship, cultural heritage and environmental sustainability, culminating in the first of many empowerment talks with rural girls. A portion of the proceeds were dedicated to site visits at a dormitory for girl scholars.
Day 3. Fashion Empowerment Talk co-organized by Soroptimist International women's twin clubs, in Marrakech, Morocco and San Juan, Philippines
This is the start of herstory-in-the-making, and long term partnerships, with Moroccan partners expected to visit the Philippine islands, and reruns around airports tentatively slated in 2023.
For orders or more information, anyone may contact tv@peacenetwork.asia @herslaha.
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