Fatim-Zarah Ettalbi is a young woman who’s making it her mission to bring traditional Moroccan craftsmanship “out of its comfort zone” and onto the global stage.
“When you say Moroccan [fashion], people think kaftan, and we wear them only in big weddings and ceremonies. The aim of Zaïn is to bring our traditional craftsmanship to daily life,” said the 33-year-old designer-entrepreneur of her brand, named after her mother, and which means beautiful in Arabic.
Ettalbi presented a 25-piece collection of Zaïn on Aug. 9 at Rustan’s Makati as part of the luxury retailer’s ongoing “Le Coeur du Maroc (The Heart of Morocco)” festival.
It was her first ever show in Asia for the brand she founded in 2015, which is now sold in Europe and the US.
By designing pieces that modern women across the globe would wear in their daily lives, Ettalbi believes she could help preserve Moroccan artisan crafts that are usually reserved for special-occasion clothing.
“It’s for women everywhere,” she said. “Women nowadays travel a lot, and they want to wear pieces that are authentic, but also clothes that respect their modern lifestyle. I’m a traveler because of my job. These are what I’d wear anywhere. When I design, I think internationally. It’s Zaïn style with Moroccan craftsmanship for women everywhere.”
For her Rustan’s collection, dubbed “Footprint in the Desert,” Ettalbi created a mix of kaftan-inspired pieces as well as dresses and separates, each with an artisanal Moroccan touch—embroidery here, beadwork there.
“Many are inspired by kaftans, but I follow modern cuts. They’re comfy, somewhat bohemian. Everything is handmade,” Ettalbi said, pointing to the neat row of tone-on-tone buttons on her top. “These buttons are of silk thread, all made by hand. Three people work together for a meter-long band like this. It’s a long process.”
Ettalbi dreamed of becoming a designer since age seven, but there wasn’t much creative outlet in the small village where she grew up.
A move to Marrakesh for university opened her eyes to possibilities. She went on to study business in France, where she found work with the likes of Christian Lacroix after graduation.
Back home, she founded a distribution company, where she realized how woman entrepreneurs were still “not as highly regarded” in that part of the world, she said.
She has made it her cause to empower other women by giving skilled artisans livelihood and, in the process, revive traditional craftsmanship. Zaïn has 15 woman artisans.
Marrying her love for fashion and her cause, Ettalbi said Zaïn is also for the socially conscious woman who cares about where her clothes come from, who made them, and at what cost.
She’s now preparing an “executive collection” for working women, as well as a leather line.
On her partnership with Rustan’s, “I hope it’s just the beginning,” she said with a smile.
