MERYEM SLIMANI AND NAJATE LEKLYE
We ask fashion’s preeminent talents to mine their inspirations and curate their world through style. Bonded by a love of fashion – and a joint Instagram – Moroccan-Dutch mother-daughter Meryem Slimani and Najate Leklye, share theirs.
“Susan Bijl is an iconic bag brand from Rotterdam that’s all about innovative and eco-conscious bags, pouches and raincoats. It has amazing colour combinations to match with any outfit, and the bags last a lifetime.”
“Orange blossom is a scent we use a lot in Morocco, in pastries, but also as a spray to refresh your face and hands. It reminds me of home, of big parties where we used to sit together with all the aunts and cousins to make delicate sweets from scratch. My favourite perfume is Chanel No 5, because it’s a classic.”
“I studied cultural science and took many art history classes, so where to start? I love Roy Lichtenstein and Pablo Picasso. Pop art is a style I love because I love popular culture, and artists like Andy Warhol had a way of understanding what moved people and how to have fun.”
“I admire the style of Princess Diana; she always looked so chic and fabulous and she wasn’t afraid to stand out in a very stiff and regulated environment.”
“Oumayma Elboumeshouli is an amazing art director and creative from the Netherlands with roots in Morocco. I really love how young bicultural women are not afraid to go for whatever they want. I wish I had the guts to follow my dreams when I was her age.”
“I love Moroccan artisan work like pottery, woodcarving and zellige [a form of Islamic mosaic tile work]. Morocco is my motherland and it has my heart and soul. The colours, the food, the people, our family – it means everything to me.”
“My daughter always finds new ways to combine her favourite items and she is a master of mixing prints and textures that will make you
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think: ‘How is this going to work?’ But when she puts it on, it looks amazing.”
“I love that my mum is not afraid to take risks and wears colour in such abundance.”
“Shiona Turini was a consultant, a stylist and is now a costume designer known for the amazing things she did for the movie Queen & Slim. I love how she tells stories through clothing and is able to portray typical aspects of culture and heritage with her designs.”
“I grew up reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and it still gives me the comforting feeling that even if everything falls apart it will be alright in the end. Her life was so moving and intense but somehow she found a way to take whatever life gave her and be at peace with herself. She is one of my biggest inspirations.”
“Right now, fashion is constantly recycling and reinventing past eras. It feels as if everything goes from Western to 90s to 70s to athleisure. It’s a melting pot that gives people freedom to choose and mix however they please.”
“Rose water reminds me of spring in Morocco. The bittersweetness of rose is how life can feel sometimes: it might sting a little but the beauty of it makes it worth it. My favourite perfume is Sikkim Girls from Lush.”
“There aren’t many female architects of colour and Afaina de Jong shows that through inclusion one can make a change … her designs, teaching and the way her work stands for what she believes in: an inclusive society where there is space for everyone.”
“I like to return to the Quran in my spare time; it’s a form of meditation and self-care.”
“I love the relaxed vibe of California: the palm trees, the great weather, the beaches, the art scene, the food. Just being there makes me happy and that’s the most important thing about travel to me: that it inspires and energises me.”
“[My favourite] fashion era is the 70s, when I was in my 20s … a great time for young, passionate women, feminists and fashion – three things that were very important to me at the time.”
“No matter what she wears, Meryem is always the most beautiful person to me.”
“I love my mum in traditional Moroccan dresses, which she wears on special occasions like weddings. She has a bright red satin piece that she pairs with gold jewellery and also a gold belt. She looks like a queen when she is in that.”
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enmeshed with the name Chanel as camellia brooches, quilted leather and the Ritz Paris. It was a discovery Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel made while living in Scotland with her then-lover the Duke of Westminster, who had purchased Rosehall estate in 1926, giving Chanel carte blanche to redecorate the 22-room mansion to her taste. In the Scottish Highlands, Chanel also took up fishing and borrowed the Duke’s sportive tweed suits – which were commonly worn by upper-class men for active pursuits – as her outerwear uniform. Chanel cottoned on to tweed’s comfort, mobility
TWEED FEELS AS