Silk caftan with couched silk-cord decoration
Naïma Bennis · Date not documented
Morocco
Naïma Bennis
- Fluid caftans
- Moroccan handwork
- Adapted traditional garments
Naïma Bennis helped reshape Moroccan fashion during the decades following independence. Her designs combined local handwork and dress forms with the lighter fabrics and fluidity associated with European couture.
Five looks to know
Collection selection
Black velvet cape
c. 1970 · Naïma Bennis; V&A collection
A documented Naïma Bennis garment preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Collection selection
Blue silk caftan
c. 1970 · Naïma Bennis; V&A collection
A documented Naïma Bennis garment preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Collection selection
Printed silk gandura
c. 1970 · Naïma Bennis; V&A collection
A documented Naïma Bennis garment preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Collection selection
Metallic brocade caftan
1960s · Naïma’s Caftans, Rabat Hilton
A caftan bearing the Naïma’s Caftans, Rabat Hilton label, documented by Poppy’s Vintage Clothing and dated by the seller to the 1960s.
Poppy’s Vintage Clothing
Collection selection
Caftan worn by Umm Kulthum
c. 1968 · Naïma Bennis archive
Umm Kulthum wears a Naïma Bennis caftan in an archival photograph identified by the V&A, probably taken at Rabat’s Hilton Hotel around her 1968 visit. The seated photograph documents the bodice and sleeves.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London; archive donated by Mouna Lotfi in 2014; photographer unknownCollections & archive pieces
1 collections represented · 1 pieceSelected work
1 piece
About Naïma Bennis
Capes, caftans and tunics translated established clothing traditions into a modern urban wardrobe, placing Moroccan craftsmanship at the center of an evolving fashion language.