“You have to know where you came from before you know where you go.” These wise words are at the heart of Moroccan designer Karim Adduchi’s fashion couture collections. The 30-year-old artist was born to a Berber home in Imzouren, Northern Morocco, however, he was raised in Spain. His collections are filled with fabrics and silhouettes created to celebrate the different phases of a woman’s life. As a Muslim, he is especially inspired to design for Arab women who like his mother (also a tailor) are the women he understands best. Recently, Adduchi presented his fourth collection Maktub (your destiny is written in stone) in Paris. It featured wide leg trousers, slim coat dresses, Kaftans evoking the Berber spirit, wraps with Moroccan embroidery, and Amazigh inspired pieces decorated with Moroccan tassels. Even Adduchi’s handbags, topped with Berber symbolism showcase his roots.
“You have to know where you came from before you know where you go.” – Berber Couture Designer, Karim Adduchi
Adduchi was born into a world filled with textiles and sewing, however, his upbringing wasn’t glamorous. He recalls a striped dress he made and remembered how his mother would use every scrap of material to create patterns and save money. ” My mother would make a dress in exchange for a pot of milk.” Adduchi’s father was also a tailor, however, moved to Barcelona to find better work when Adduchi was just a baby. Art and design rang in his blood and as a child, Adduchi’s talent in drawing was clear; he was sent to art school. In his 20’s Adduchi used his talents in portrait, abstract, and figurative work to support himself while he studied fine arts at the University of Barcelona.
These days Adduchi prefers creating his designs with a collaborative mindset, especially if the project allows him to give back to his Moroccan roots. Included in his collaborations are working with local artisans in Morocco, teaching refugees in Amsterdam the art of tailoring so they can work together, and showing young children afflicted by war to use art as an expressive medium. Adduchi believes ” fashion has a loud voice and if the message is important, it can be a powerful tool.”
Adduchi was listed in Forbes 2018 30 Under 30: Europe Art and Culture list. His past three collections were shown at Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Weekend, displayed in hotel lobbies, and showcased in African Museums. Some of his Beber trademarks include local Moroccan embroidery ( produced by a village woman in Morocco) and gold metallic feathers made for him by a man in Tetouan.