São Paulo – The Moroccan scenery is in fashion for Brazilian brands. This time it is the 2011 summer collection of brand Khelf, which brings pictures of models dressed in items inspired on the colours of spices, precious stones and the Moroccan desert. This is the first time that the company inspiration for its collection comes from an Arab country.
To shoot the pictures, a team of five models, one stylist, a make-up artist and a press advisor spent five days in Marrakesh. Research for the campaign was partly elaborated in Brazil and partly in Morocco and, for this purpose, the team arrived two days before the beginning of the photo shoots.
Khelf clothes, turned to a young audience, present light fabrics in this collection, like batiste, cotton and lace. The clothes appeared in new items, like decorated tops, shorts and dresses. The colours, which come in warm tones, like orange, red, brown, beige, ochre, amber, coral and turquoise, are based on Moroccan elements like the beige of the sand of the desert, the colour of spices and precious stones and the ochre of Moroccan architecture.
The desert served as the setting for most of the pictures. A tent with embroidered cushions, cups with gilded details and grass baskets decorated the tent. The models had their heads and necks covered, bringing to mind the desert people.
The pictures were taken at sites close to the medina, in the ancient centre of the city. According to figures disclosed by the company, the objective was not to make a Moroccan themed collection, but one inspired on the location. The colours of the jalabas (tunics) of the Berbers, for example, appear in the collection together with colourful braids of some clothes, which become belts.
As it is a young brand, Khelf works much with jeans, which in this collection is ripped and heavily stone-washed. The aged aspect of the jeans and of the street wear fashion is also influenced by the desert nomads. The colours of the products come in plain and printed shirts, with floral and chequered motifs.
The Brazilian team that travelled to Morocco returned enchanted with the appreciation and hospitality of the local population, according to the press department at Khelf. The food and the mint tea also marked the travellers.
Over 30 shops
Khelf started operating in 1984 as a multi-brand store. In the 1990s, the company started manufacturing its clothing under its own brand. Presently, its products are outsourced across the Brazilian territory and sold at 30 own stores. According to information supplied by the company, in order to keep in touch with clients and advertise its products, Khelf uses social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Orkut.
*Translated by Mark Ament and Gabriel Pomerancblum
