Moroccan elegance,
Fine fabrics and embroidery

The house

Smaqi, a traditional clothing workshop in Fès

Smaqi is a boutique and a sewing workshop in Fès, the city where Moroccan traditional dress settled its codes. We handcraft womenswear there: the caftan, a one-piece robe worn for the great occasions; the takchita, two robes layered and closed with a worked belt, still the garment of weddings; the hooded jellaba, worn day to day as much as on the mornings of Eid; the jabador, a matching tunic and trousers you put on to receive guests; and the haik, draped rather than cut, from the region of Tétouan.

Nothing comes off a line. Every piece is cut, embroidered and assembled by artisans working silk satin, ceremony velvet, muslin and brocade woven with gold thread. The braid and the sfifa are laid by hand, one at a time; depending on how rich the model is, an outfit takes anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred hours. That is why no two of our pieces are quite alike, and why a caftan from Fès is still recognised by the fineness of its finishing.

Made to measure remains the heart of the work. Most of our orders are not taken off a rack: measurements are taken, and the piece is built for the person who will wear it. You can come to the workshop, or send us your bust, waist, hips and height over WhatsApp — we then confirm the model, the lead time and the price before starting. Allow six to eight weeks for an embroidered ceremony outfit, less for a simpler piece.

Not every outfit is meant to be kept, and we rent part of ours out. For a wedding, a henna night or an engagement, the caftan, the takchita, the jabador and the haik are available for rental, to be tried on in our Fès boutique: you wear a workshop piece for the occasion without buying it. The jellaba is not rented — it is worn through a whole season, and buying it makes more sense. Terms are set case by case over WhatsApp, depending on the piece and the date.

The shop is open seven days a week and is meant to be visited: you try things on, you compare fabrics, and you leave with an opinion. For those who cannot come to Fès, orders are placed online — delivery in 24 to 72 hours anywhere in Morocco with cash on delivery, and 5 to 14 days internationally. Sizing advice and order tracking are handled over WhatsApp, in French, Arabic or English.

If Fès keeps coming up in these lines, it is not out of local attachment. It is here, in the workshops of the medina, that the straight cut of the caftan, the randa embroidery and the buttons closing the front were settled; court garments were sewn here long before anyone spoke of Moroccan fashion. Working in Fès means learning those gestures from people who hold them from their mother, and handing them back to women who will wear them elsewhere. It is also what lets us sell you the piece at its source, with no middleman. Each garment has its own page: Caftan Fes, Takchita Fes, Jellaba Fes and Caftan Rental Fes.