GHORBA

This body of work explores navigating ghorba—the condition of living between cultures, carrying both belonging and displacement simultaneously. This experience informs my design practice, shaping a perspective that is neither singular nor fixed.

Through the lens of the Arab and African diaspora, the collection examines the intersection of tradition and modernity. My thesis interrogates the politics of cultural dress, and the ways bodies are read, restricted, and expressed through the textiles they inhabit. Each garment embodies contradictions: modesty and exposure, assimilation and authenticity, heritage and reinvention. By merging Moroccan motifs with androgynous silhouettes, these four looks challenge orientalist narratives and resist rigid definitions of Middle Eastern and North African identity.

Ghorba honors rebellious women and indigenous lineages that shape my vision as a designer, while asserting a space for creative autonomy that defies conformity. This project operates as both homage and critique—a dialogue between past and future.