UTRECHT.- On the afternoon of Wednesday 2 October, Her Majesty Queen Máxima opened the exhibition MOḌA: Moroccan Fashion Statements at Centraal Museum in Utrecht. This comprehensive fashion and art exhibition is as diverse and multifaceted as the participating creators and their designs, showcasing close collaborations with both internationally renowned figures and emerging local talents. Curated by DAR Cultural Agency and Centraal Museum, this vibrant display brings the bold visions and personal narratives of pioneering designers and artists to Utrecht, a city home to a significant Moroccan diaspora.

Zineb Seghrouchni, co-curator of MOḌA and founder of DAR Cultural Agency: “Moroccanness fascinates me: it is irreplaceable, constantly evolving and rooted in a rich heritage. MOḌA is a manifestation of Moroccanness, created for and by those who embody it.”

Ninke Bloemberg, curator of fashion at Centraal Museum: “MOḌA goes beyond the stereotypes to convey the irrepressible energy of contemporary makers with a relationship to Morocco, from high fashion to streetwear and from the hyper-local to the global stage.”

Fashion statements

MOḌA means ‘fashion’ in both Moroccan and Tamazight. In this exhibition, creators with Moroccan roots take centre stage. Renowned international designers and emerging talents from Utrecht present fashion statements that challenge conventional perspectives. Moroccan fashions are interwoven with regional specialties, symbolism and extraordinary crafts and have long been seen as folkloric or oriental. MOḌA redefines this perception, offering an invitation to connect over these perspectives. The exhibition provides a glimpse into the vast diversity of Moroccan fashion, without attempting to be exhaustive.

Monumental

MOḌA opens with statement pieces: monumental creations by fashion labels such as Maison Sara Chraïbi, BENCHELLAL and New Tangier. Through embroidery and draping, the designers incorporate their personal visual language into an ode to women, family stories or specific areas in Morocco. With personal statements from the makers, MOḌA focuses on the underlying stories through striking garments such as a vintage silham (a cape-like garment) by Maison ARTC, dyed with natural henna and embroidered by hand. This garment was “created with love and respect to honour our heritage, culture and craft traditions”. Specially for MOḌA, BENCHELLAL has created a unique dress from air-mesh, a lightweight woven fabric with a gauzy look. Folding and draping create sculptural forms: a visual harmony that celebrates the wearer’s beauty.

Going Local in the Global

The works in the second room explore the interaction between the local and the global scene, the urban and the rural, and the physical and virtual worlds. In each case, the focus is on the maker’s personal perspective, often a (re)mix of different influences. This inextricable connection between their local environment and global cultures is exemplified by Meryem Slimani, who styles and photographs her mother in a mix of traditional Moroccan clothing and vintage items from the 1980s and ’90s, resulting in colourful images that are brimming with energy. In blogs and on social media, fashion has now become a language to communicate your identity: you are what you wear.

Especially for the exhibition, internationally renowned artist Hassan Hajjaj has created Le Salon, an immersive installation inspired by the salons in Moroccan homes where guests are received. Hajjaj invites visitors to MOḌA to meet and relax in this space. Le Salon features a selection of books curated by Yasmina Naji of Kulte Editions, Morocco’s only independent art book publisher.

Tamy Tazi

Tamy Tazi is the grande dame of Moroccan couture and is considered one of the most influential fashion designers of her generation. Tazi reinvented the kaftan in the 1960s by adapting it to the body instead of the other way around. However, her story has – unjustly – been written out of Western fashion history.

Art & Craft

Traditional crafts are much more integrated within the Moroccan fashion world than in the West: collaborations with craftsmen are essential. Specially for the exhibition, Said Mahrouf has made an installation of handmade brocade silk thread: “There is no fashion without craft.” Mina Abouzahra’s Roukia cabinet, recently commissioned by Centraal Museum, is also a tribute to the heritage of Amazigh weaving and textiles.

The Freedom Dress by Karim Adduchi is literally an interweaving of cultures, just like Morocco itself, where different threads of Amazigh, Arab, African and European influences intertwine. The dress comprises an antique Catholic cope (a liturgical mantle), a Jewish bekishe (frockcoat) and an Islamic prayer mat, thus connecting three religions.

Amazigh Hairitage

In her project Amazigh Hairitage, Ilham Mestour combines her fascination with Amazigh hairstyles with years of experience as an internationally renowned hairstylist. She honours her heritage and enriches it with a contemporary twist. Her Amazigh ‘hair coutures’ are richly decorated and full of symbolism. Traditionally, Moroccan women have helped each other with their hair creations as part of rituals over which they connected by sharing stories and passing on knowledge.

Born from Matter

The last room in MOḌA features several pieces by Noureddine Amir, who creates ingenious sculptural garments. He works with natural materials, using surprising combinations such as raffia, jute, chiffon and leather: “I start from the centre, around which the form emerges, […] it is born from the raw materials.”

New works revealed in MOḌA

MOḌA features new creations by, among others, BENCHELLAL, the young makers of BOKS Cultuurhuis, Hassan Hajjaj Studio, Ilham Mestour, Maison ARTC, Mastoor, Meriem Belkhayat, Meryem Slimani, Mina Abouzahra, Said Mahrouf and Samira Charroud. A list of all participating designers and artists can be found further on in this press release.

Multilingual

The exhibition texts are available in Classical Arabic, English and Dutch and the free multimedia guide is available in Tamazight, Darija, English and Dutch. The guide features in-depth stories from Artsi Ifrach, Fadila El Gadi, Fatima Essahsah, Joseph Ouechen, Kenza Bennani, Nadia Zerouali, Samira Charroud and Sophia Tazi.

Connective programme

The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive programme featuring activities across various neighbourhoods in Utrecht. These include embroidered family portraits, inspired by the work of Meriem Yin, and a fashion studio designed specifically for young people. On three Sundays (27 October, 19 January, and 16 February), DAR Cultural Agency and Centraal Museum will transform the exhibition into a festival. Details of the MOḌA Fests will be announced later. On 10 November, MOḌA will be celebrated during the Le Guess Who?festival. Together with Atay Atelier, BOKS Cultuurhuis, Buddy to Buddy, Khadija Maros and Younity, DAR Cultural Agency and Centraal Museum will celebrate the importance of nurturing community through an extensive daytime programme featuring fashion shows, music, and food. In addition to this, Centraal Laat’s programme will be inspired by themes from MOḌA.