Starting a fashion label under his own name, Said Mahrouf has previously shown his collections at Festimode-Casablanca Fashion Week in 2007, Paris Fashion Week in 2009 and at four different editions of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Amsterdam, making his minimalistic and super elegant designs world renowned. Waiting in the Gashouder for him to kick off the evening program with his brand new collection titled ‘Lines and Panels’, the atmosphere seemed to be filled with reverberating anticipation, excited to see how Said Mahrouf has put a spin on his strong design aesthetic this time.
Enticing visuals displayed what seemed like a sparkling curtain of pouring golden rain drops, providing the perfect background for the shiny layers of silk, draped masterfully around the models’ bodies and flowing beautifully with every motion they made. Whereas previous collections by Mahrouf have shown a fondness for bold primary colors, this collection showcases a palette of somewhat muted jewel tones to complement the all-white and all-black looks and some are glamorously aggrandized by the thin golden lines threaded through the fabrics.
The draping techniques used are truly exquisite, sometimes creating asymmetrical forms that look very new and unusual, but no matter how intrinsically draped always characteristically very authentic and clean. Never losing the minimalistic feel and ultra-femininity that Said Mahrouf is known for, we can see subtle references to his heritage with some of the dresses and pantsuits hinting at traditional ethnic clothing, also reminding us of his background in costume design.
Hailing from Asilah, Morocco and raised in Amsterdam, Said Mahrouf attended the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and the Pratt Institute in New York. Initially he focused on costume design, but gradually started to gravitate more towards fashion design. In this category, he undeniably excels and we without a doubt assert that in our opinion, ‘Lines and panels’ was the best collection at MBFWA this season.
