Cultural influences · SS27
Middle East & North Africa
31 looks from 16 houses drew on Middle East & North Africa traditions: 1 in 42 shows this season.
Who borrowed it
Every pairing →27 of the 31 looks came from houses based outside the tradition's home country, 27 of them from another region of the world.
- From another region 27
- Can't tell 4
- Morocco borrowed by houses based in Italy (8), Nigeria (7), France (2)
- Middle Eastern (unspecified) borrowed by houses based in Italy (2), Nigeria (2), Denmark (1), United Kingdom (1)
- Iran borrowed by houses based in Italy (1)
- Amazigh borrowed by houses based in Nigeria (1)
- Palestine borrowed by houses based in Brazil (1)
- Turkey borrowed by houses based in Italy (1)
Which cultures
Share of the region's 31 looks. “Unspecified” when the element is shared across the region.
What kind of reference
The elements
Looks drawing on each, and the houses that showed it- Sfifa braid trim · embroidery / embellishment12 looks
- Gandoura / jabador · garment form7 looks
- Babouche · footwear5 looks
- Kilim / persian carpet motif · motif3 looks
- Thobe / dishdasha · garment form2 looks
- Moroccan aakad / tassel passementerie · embroidery / embellishment1 look
- Nazar / evil eye amulet · jewellery / adornment1 look
- Nazar / evil eye motif · motif1 look
- Passementerie tassel closure (aakad) · embroidery / embellishment1 look
- Tatreez · embroidery / embellishment1 look
- Wrapped turban headwrap · headwear1 look
- Amazigh silver jewellery · jewellery / adornment1 look
- Assuit / tulle bi telli · embroidery / embellishment1 look
- Belly-dance hip scarf · styling / layering1 look
- Fez / tarboosh · headwear1 look
- Mevlevi sikke (dervish felt hat) · headwear1 look
Also seen, styled back towards their source but long part of Western dress, and so not counted above: kaftan (2).
On the runway
Up to three looks per house, strongest first
Giorgio Armani · Look 39 · Milan
- Sfifa braid trim
- Gandoura / jabador
Italy → Morocco
“Scrolling corded passementerie braid running down the centre front opening and around the standing collar, as in Moroccan sfifa trim on caftans and jabadors.”
Sahrazad · Look 16 · Lagos
- Gandoura / jabador
- Sfifa braid trim
Nigeria → Morocco
“Collarless V-slit neckline with tonal braided trim, a long centre-front placket of small passementerie buttons, and loose wide sleeves typical of Moroccan jabador/gandoura tunics; shortened over shorts.”
Sahrazad · Look 17 · Lagos
- Gandoura / jabador
- Sfifa braid trim
Nigeria → Morocco
“Loose straight-cut tunic with wide long sleeves and a deep keyhole slit neckline outlined in contrast trim, characteristic of Moroccan jabador/gandoura tops; shortened, worn with matching shorts.”
Sahrazad · Look 18 · Lagos
- Gandoura / jabador
- Sfifa braid trim
Nigeria → Morocco
“Loose straight-cut collarless tunic with keyhole slit neckline and wide sleeves, cropped to a short tunic over matching shorts as a jabador-style set.”
Franck Sorbier · Look 1 · Paris
- Gandoura / jabador
- Sfifa braid trim
France → Morocco
“Collarless deep V-slit neckline edged in tonal braid, loose hip-length tunic with tone-on-tone embroidered chest panel, as on a Moroccan jabador top worn with trousers.”
Dodo · Look 5 · Milan
- Nazar / evil eye amulet
Base unknown
“Almond eye-shaped gold charm with concentric blue sapphire pupil, the nazar apotropaic form; equally Turkish, Greek or wider Mediterranean, reworked in fine gold and gems.”
Loro Piana · Look 33 · Milan
- Mevlevi sikke (dervish felt hat)
Italy → Turkey
“Tall, rigid, camel felt hat with a truncated-cone shape that flares slightly, closely recalling the Mevlevi dervish sikke.”
Emporio Armani · Look 146 · Milan
- Babouche
Italy → Morocco
“Backless-style slip-on with soft unstructured suede vamp, flat thin stacked leather sole, high enveloping vamp and squared toe recalling Moroccan babouche; reworked with contrast leather heel counter.”
Franck Sorbier · Look 24 · Paris
- Gandoura / jabador
- Sfifa braid trim
France → Morocco
“Collarless long-sleeved pullover tunic with a deep slit neckline and embroidered panel at the chest, worn untucked over trousers like a jabador top.”
Giorgio Armani · Look 38 · Milan
- Sfifa braid trim
Italy → Morocco
“Dense beaded/braided trim edging the collar and asymmetric front opening, with scalloped looped closures resembling Moroccan sfifa and aakad button-loop edging.”
Mr. Larkin · Look 21 · Copenhagen
- Belly-dance hip scarf
Denmark → Middle Eastern (unspecified)
“Triangular scarf knotted low on the hip over a skirt, with a heavy beaded border, dense bead fringe and metallic beaded teardrop appliqués, as on raqs sharqi hip scarves.”
Foz · Look 24 · Sao Paulo
- Tatreez
Brazil → Palestine
“Dense counted cross-stitch in red, black and cream on square panels; stylised floral/star rosettes. Could also read as Balkan or Slavic cross-stitch folk embroidery.”
Chopova Lowena · Look 10 · London
- Kilim / persian carpet motif
United Kingdom → Middle Eastern (unspecified)
“Woven-look panel with hooked lozenges, stepped geometric medallions and a red/green/cream palette on brown ground. Kilim-like, though Caucasian or Diné weaving readings are also possible.”
Absent Findings · Look 15 · Milan
- Wrapped turban headwrap
Base unknown
“Voluminous crimson cloth wrapped over head with contrasting olive band tied around brow; turban-style wrap, possibly also South Asian pagri - origin ambiguous.”
Borsalino · Look 46 · Milan
- Fez / tarboosh
Italy → Middle Eastern (unspecified)
“Brimless, flat-topped, slightly tapered cylindrical cap with possible small tassel tab at side; reworked in glossy satin. Could read as Ottoman/Moroccan fez or a kufi-style cap.”
Maliko · Look 2 · Lagos
- Thobe / dishdasha
Nigeria → Middle Eastern (unspecified)
“Ankle-length straight cream cotton robe with long sleeves and a half-placket button front. Equally readable as a West African kaftan/jalabiya; reworked with contrast stitching.”
Maliko · Look 3 · Lagos
- Thobe / dishdasha
Nigeria → Middle Eastern (unspecified)
“Straight ankle-length long-sleeved cream robe, collarless round neck, short buttoned placket; could equally read as a West African men's long kaftan or jalabiya.”
Etro · Look 22 · Milan
- Kilim / persian carpet motif
Italy → Iran
“Large central medallion with scalloped border and pendant forms, rosettes and arabesque floral fill on a dark ground, laid out like a Persian carpet field.”
Etro · Look 32 · Milan
- Kilim / persian carpet motif
Italy → Middle Eastern (unspecified)
“Velvet print with central medallions, palmette and rosette fillers, scalloped borders on deep red, green, gold ground in carpet-like layout; Persian or Mughal floral readings possible.”
Capasa Milano Shoes Collection · Look 2 · Milan
- Babouche
Italy → Morocco
“Soft unstructured suede slipper with elongated almond toe, high pointed vamp, thin flat sole and visible stitched seams, recalling babouche form; closed heel counter departs from tradition.”
Dodo · Look 16 · Milan
- Nazar / evil eye motif
Base unknown
“Almond eye outline with a blue sapphire-set iris, an apotropaic evil-eye form. Reworked in gold, not glass. Could equally be Turkish, Greek or broader Mediterranean.”
Capasa Milano Shoes Collection · Look 166 · Milan
- Babouche
Italy → Morocco
“Soft unstructured slip-on with elongated pointed toe, high vamp, contrast-piped seams and low back recall the babouche. Black suede and a raised heel counter rework it. Could also read as a plain jutti.”
Capasa Milano Shoes Collection · Look 172 · Milan
- Babouche
Italy → Morocco
“Soft unstructured leather slipper with high enclosing vamp, elongated pointed toe, thin flat sole and soft heel. Plain black, no embroidery, so it could also read as a generic slipper-loafer.”
Aelis · Look 2 · Paris
- Assuit / tulle bi telli
Base unknown
“Sheer white net with dense small silver metallic dots forming lozenge, diamond and banded geometric patterns, typical of Egyptian assuit; could also be generic sequin or crystal embroidery.”
Fendi · Look 33 · Milan
- Sfifa braid trim
Italy → Morocco
“Gold cord edging runs along the front opening, hem and cuffs, with clustered parallel cord lines on the shoulders. This resembles Moroccan sfifa/passementerie trim on robes.”
The houses
16 houses, by looks drawing on Middle East & North Africa traditionsFrom another region
- Sahrazad · 8 looks · amazigh silver jewellery, gandoura / jabador, moroccan aakad / tassel passementerie Nigeria*
- Capasa Milano Shoes Collection · 4 looks · babouche Italy
- Etro · 2 looks · kilim / persian carpet motif Italy
- Franck Sorbier · 2 looks · gandoura / jabador, sfifa braid trim France
- Giorgio Armani · 2 looks · gandoura / jabador, sfifa braid trim Italy
- Maliko · 2 looks · thobe / dishdasha Nigeria*
- Borsalino · 1 look · fez / tarboosh Italy
- Chopova Lowena · 1 look · kilim / persian carpet motif United Kingdom
- Emporio Armani · 1 look · babouche Italy
- Fendi · 1 look · sfifa braid trim Italy
- Foz · 1 look · tatreez Brazil*
- Loro Piana · 1 look · mevlevi sikke (dervish felt hat) Italy
- Mr. Larkin · 1 look · belly-dance hip scarf Denmark*
House base not recorded
- Dodo · 2 looks · nazar / evil eye amulet, nazar / evil eye motif
- Absent Findings · 1 look · wrapped turban headwrap
- Aelis · 1 look · assuit / tulle bi telli
Where it was shown
Share of each fashion week's looksHow we read it
Read from the runway photographs by our AI tagger: an element counts when it is recognisably drawn from a specific dress or craft tradition and the tagger is at least 60% confident. It describes the clothes only, never the person wearing them, and it is not a statement by the house.
A look is borrowed when the house that showed it is based outside the country the tradition comes from. We compare the house's base (recorded, or inferred from the one national fashion week it shows at) with the tradition the tagger named. Traditions the tagger could only place by region, such as “West African”, count as borrowed only when the house is based outside that region. For Indigenous traditions a house based on the same territory may or may not belong to the community, so those looks are marked “can’t tell”. A house’s base says nothing about its designers’ own heritage, and borrowing is not a verdict: it can be collaboration, homage or appropriation, which the photographs can’t show.