Before it became the ceremonial costume as we know it today in Morocco, the caftan underwent changes according to the times it went through and the civilizations it encountered. Before taking its current definition, in other wordsMoroccan and feminine, the caftan was previously the prerogative of men. In the 7th century, this is the period when the “khaftane” of Persian origin was introduced into the Muslim East.
In the 15th century, under the Spanish Inquisition, the Moorish kingdom of Granada disappeared, pushing its craftsmen to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to take refuge in Morocco. In Fez or Rabat, their Arab-Andalusian know-how then mixes with Berber traditions to found a new aesthetic, at the origin of the current Moroccan caftan. The Saadian era will however revolutionize the use of this garment. Women appropriate it, which will therefore mark the beginning of the feminization of the Moroccan caftan. Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour established the fashion for a transparent tunic over the traditional caftan known as mansouria.
In the 17th century, the Alaouite era was symbolized, among other things, by the opening up to Europe. Indeed, many European painters and writers stay in Morocco and represent through their works, the Moroccan costumes.
In the 18th century, the ladies of the French aristocracy were fascinated by the Orient and therefore by the caftan. When the translation of the book “Thousand and One Nights” appears, they are passionate about oriental costumes. Madame de Pompadour will also be immortalized in a caftan, like a sultana.
In the West, in the 19th century, the Orient and its mysteries aroused great interest. Writers, painters and artists are passionate about its culture and its costumes. The caftan which is present in some paintings of the time as the reflections of a subjugating orientalism. Eugène Delacroix, Ingres and Renoir visited North Africa. Renoir’s Odalisque is a tribute to Delacroix and a precursor to Matisse’s odalisque paintings.
Eugène Delacroix, Morocco 1832, Auguste Renoir, 1870, Henri Matisse, 1937
After a new translation of the book “One Thousand and One Nights” was published in Paris between 1899 and 1904, it was a resurgence of Orientalism that inspired the first great Parisian couturier (after Charles Worth) Paul Poiret (1879 – 1944) to design his clothes. The seduction was an important factor in Poiret’s work. A woman wearing Poiret was meant to be seductive. Paul Poiret was fascinated by the oriental tradition, many of his clothes were based on rectangular cuts of fabric as for the Moroccan caftan
Early 20th century painters, including Edouard Manet, Wassily Kandinsky, Kees Van Dongen, and Paul Klee, turned away from romanticized ideals by painting in North Africa. They focused on abstract compositions of light, color, pattern and form. Matisse was fascinated by Islamic art. He painted in Morocco in 1912-13 and he was passionate about textiles. He comes from a family of weavers and collects oriental costumes and embroideries.
Kees van Dongen, “Amazigh Woman”
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Italian couturier, Mario Fortuny (1871 – 1949) was inspired during his various stays in Morocco to design a sleeveless tunic, called an “aba”, appelé aujourd’hui gandoura, which is very similar to those used in the Arab world. He then designed a wide variety of caftans inspired by different regions.
At the end of the 1950s, Christian Dior offered a black silk satin caftan. Yves Saint Laurent designed it, with a belt.
In the 60s and 70s, bohemian culture took an interest in costume, embroidery and Moroccan craftsmanship. This kaftan, closer to the gandoura, is both relaxed and synonymous with exoticism and is exported even in the fashion editorials of prestigious international magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s bazaar, captured by Irving Penn or Helmut Newton. The editor-in-chief of American Vogue, Diana Vreeland, has devoted numerous articles to the Moroccan caftan and Moroccan fashion. .The creators, like Lanvin in 1967, Oscar de la Renta the same year, or Yves Saint Laurent who will make traditional dresses and other Berber influences, the leitmotif of his collections. The creators stylize their neo-orientalist vision of Moroccan clothing, caftans, gandouras, takchitas, mansourias and djellabas.
Helmut Newton, Yves Saint Laurent, 1976
In the 1970s, the Moroccan caftan began a new era of creativity with Tamy Tazi, close friend of Yves Saint Laurent, who founded her fashion house. The caftan begins its revival. Revisiting classic cuts without distorting the essence of the garment. Pioneers like Zina Guessous, Naima Bennis, Zhor Sebti and Tamy Tazi initiated a break in style by modernizing Moroccan fashion. They underlined its national identity by introducing local work and craft techniques into haute-couture and fashion.
Catherine Deneuve wearing Tamy Tazy caftan,
Among all the caftans seen around the world throughout history, the only one that continues today is the Moroccan caftan. Many international personalities adopt it regularly, Elisabeth Taylor, Cher, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, Naomie Campbel, Catherine Deneuve, Mariah Carey…
Today, Western designers are inspired by Morocco and its craftsmanship, Tom Ford, Missoni, Gucci, Pucci, Saint Laurent… and they are regularly inspired by the Moroccan caftan in their creations.