Photos:JD Kelleher
Imagine yourself in a room full of treasures, surrounded by kaftans, each one more improbably beautiful than the next. Authentic works of art. Welcome to Miss Magou’s brand new showroom in South London.
Hanan Magou, founder and designer of the brand agreed to tell Luxsure the story behind the brand, and especially to talk about her creations and the future of Miss Magou.
The brand celebrated its first anniversary on February 18. This is an exciting time in Miss Magou’s development on many levels. First of all, because after three years of working from home, finding partners, raising funds, the designer now has her own showroom where she can receive the press and buyers, and of course show her work.
The showroom was still under construction in February but the presence of the kaftans all around, as well as a few details here and there, spools of multicolored silk thread, a few magazines, the brand’s new labels and other little treasures create a particularly inspiring and warm atmosphere.
It all started a few years ago after the death of the designer’s mother, of Moroccan origin. Hanan, who is a true jack-of-all-trades artistically and professionally, from TV production to theater, painting and of course fashion, felt the need to go back to her roots, as a way to get closer to gestures and traditions rooted in an age-old culture, to give them a new life by combining them with the very British spirit of this Londoner by birth, to create a unique style.
A way also for the designer to relive childhood memories, since, she told us, some Moroccan mothers continue to pass on to their daughters the art of several thousand years of kaftan.
Hanan, who grew up in Little Venice, London, regularly vacationed in Morocco and the Moroccan lifestyle is deeply embedded in her work. She talks about it with passion and confides in us her fascination for the different aspects of this culture, whether it is the clothes, the embroideries and fabrics, as well as the furniture and the lounging so dear to the Moroccan culture. When she decided to dedicate herself to kaftans, she was able to benefit from a privileged training, learning the traditional techniques directly from the best craftsmen.
The kaftans
One of the beauties of the kaftan, apart from the purely aesthetic aspect, is that each one tells a story. A sense intrinsically woven into the silk or cotton. It is also an almost universal culture, in perpetual evolution, with its nuances and new trends. Kaftans can be found in the Maghreb and the Middle East as well as in Russia, Africa or even South America. Living in London makes sense for the designer as we meet and discover so many different cultures.
Hanan Magou also regularly travels the world to find the fabrics and accessories that will make each piece unique. Some come from India, others from Italy, Ireland, others from Paris or simply from London. Old fabrics are mixed with 70’s prints or even rare vintage fabrics. One piece in particular caught my eye, breathtakingly beautiful. This is a long kaftan, cut from navy blue silk voile with Givenchy satin stripes, with exquisite embroidery around the sleeves and collar in bright pink and pale green thread. The word « unique piece » takes on its full meaning here.
There are four major lines in the Miss Magou collections: Nautical, Lounging, Evening, Sleep.
All pieces are made in Morocco by a team of twelve women artisans. And the bottom line of the house is that the kaftans are suitable for all morphologies, all lifestyles and are even declined according to the time of day. They are also timeless pieces, the kind of clothes that we wish to pass on to our daughter, one day.
Sources of inspiration
Places and landscapes seem to inspire the designer. Morocco of course, but also the Alps. Hanan Magou is a sportswoman, a real one. She loves to walk, hike, climb and observe the incredible landscapes that the high mountains offer. She tells us about an exhibition that marked her during a stay in Chamonix, where minerals and stones extracted from the heart of the Earth were exhibited, whose patterns and shades fascinated her.
Beyond the mountainous landscapes, Morocco offers the designer an inexhaustible source of inspiration, through its fabrics, its architecture, its thousand-year-old arts but also its colors and scents.
Among other places that inspire him… Venice. Having grown up in Little Venice in London, with its multitude of bridges and canals, she confides that she was literally blown away when she discovered Venice. With a lot of passion in her voice, she reaffirms that Venice is a huge source of inspiration for her. She even plans to go and live there one day, having fallen in love with the city, its people, its architecture, its fashion, everything!
Morocco, Paris, Venice, London, these are the places she loves and that inspire her.
The future of Miss Magou
There are many projects underway for the brand, with a view to international development.
Miss Magou’s kaftans, in addition to England and the Middle East, are distributed in the south of France and the designer wishes to penetrate the French market further – and in particular to organize a fashion show in Paris.
The next Miss Magou fashion show will take place in Miami at the end of April. The opportunity for Hanan to unveil the new collection and its 20’s influences, a clever mix of ballet and cabaret. About thirty pieces will be presented. The goal is to set up two international fashion shows per year.
The best for the end, the cherry on the cake… the upcoming opening of the online store www.missmagou.com, which will finally allow her fans from all over the world to acquire her sumptuous kaftans !
Laurie Guillem