Fashion Designer
Zhor Farès, known as Zhor
Raïs, is one of the fashion designers who best embodies the refinement of the
caftan (a sophisticated clothe worn by Moroccan women). Zhor makes unique pieces for women. Inspiration comes from her meeting with the
person who crossed the threshold of her haute couture house, opened in May 2011
in Casablanca. "Every
client is the source of creation. I watch my client’s complexion, the color of her hair and eyes, and her way of
being and moving. I pay
attention to her personality. Some will be comfortable in clothes that stick to the body, others will
prefer a more classic cut. Every woman is unique”, says Nadia, who grew up in the midst of dolls she
loved to dress up, and when she was a very young girl, she already crafted
silhouettes from her imagination. But when she was a young girl, fashion design
did not exist in Morocco when she chose to study Fine Arts. Though she likes sculpture and painting, it is
the needle and the pencil she wants to handle. She enrolled with “Madame Inès” school, a
renowned sewing school. With her
diploma in her pocket, she designed her first caftans. Very soon, she opened a workshop in the Maârif
then in the Oasis districts in Casablanca. She represented Morocco in fashion shows in
Jeddah, Amsterdam, Paris, The Hague, Berlin, Muscat and other cities.
In 2006, she created her
association “De Fil en aiguilles”, to promote Moroccan artisans. In 2015, she signed the "Abaya" collection
under the theme of ‘Soft watches’ that was so dear to painter Salvador Dalí, as
part of an exhibition of her works in Jeddah. Nonetheless, her proudest achievement remains
the one achieved by her daughters, Houda, Chadia and Aïda, all three driven by the same love for fashion. Under the benevolent eye of their mother, they
now operate within the workshop and contribute to the expansion the collections
of the Zhor Raïs house.