Mixing traditional techniques with irreverent brilliance, Moroccan designer Amine Bendriouich bases his designs on influences picked up during his life in North Africa. Now based in Berlin, he is ready to bring his work to the major markets.
interview
Describe you design philosophy and what your brand is all about:
My design philosophy or rather method is very simplistic; I just translate what I see, feel, hear, experience, LIVE, onto garments, trousers, jackets, coats, shirts that I use as a sketching paper, or playground, that would contain lines, plain colors, or more sophisticated cuts, in order to express a specific idea, that come sometimes from pure esthetic influence, & often from cultural, social, or political issues, that makes me react, & want put a point out there.
I also tend a lot (spontaneously) to create unexpected couples or combinations, as in my trousers for example, it’s the traditional seroual that I shape in more sharp, structured & architectural way.
I have these seroual I called “the Arab pocket” — why? because there is a bad male habit here, where men scratch their balls naturally, in any context, under any circumstances, & without any shame, so my trousers have a pocket on the level of the crotch, so it allows the men to scratch their balls a bit more decently if they really can’t help it. So these trousers are my way to support my complaining lady friends.
When did you know that this was what you wanted to do with your life? How did you get started?
My passion first started with drawing pirates ships for a while, then dinosaurs, then dogs, then weapons, then cars, jet fighters, then manga, in separate periods, till my puberty. When I turned 13, I think, and went to high school, I could only wear clothes my parents bought and choose for me, so I started drawing clothes I would like to have. Then when I noticed the interest of my friends. It became my way to show my interest to girls, by making a logo out of her name and designing a little collection for her — and also to show my friendship to my best friends in the same way.
When I finished high school, obtaining a science baccalaureate with a good mention, my first scholarly choice was to study in France, in ESMOD, but I didn’t get the visa, so I decided to go to ESMOD TUNIS, where I studied for 3 years, fashion design & pattern making. I finished in July 2006, as promo major in fashion design.
What effect (if any) do you think your childhood has had on the creativity you display as an adult? What are your earliest memories involving fashion?
My earliest memory involving fashion was at the age of 10/12 when I saw these black sneakers with flashing red/green light around the sole and I wanted them so bad. I studied so hard to be the first in my class so my parents [would] buy them for me. When I had them, and wore them for the first time, I felt so special, I was walking in the street & wishing I could have a full view of myself, to see how cool I looked in my flashing light shoes.
What inspires you?
LIFE, PEOPLE, MUSIC, everything can inspire you as long as you take the time to listen, look, & learn.
What is your design process?
I have the idea, I leave it for a moment in mind, give it the time to develop. I speak of it to my entourage in order to develop it more (I love collaborating & interacting with others), then comes a pressure — when I feel it, it means the idea is ready to birth, and that it’s complete in my mind. So I start sketching, the pattern making, then prototype, and the presentation way grows all the way till the day.
What’s the most difficult aspect of what you do?
The financial part is the most difficult. As a starting structure it’s all always hard to find the money, which is the nerve of war, and as long as you don’t have it, you’ve gotta be creative to find alternative ways to keep up doing your thing, till the money comes.
Do you design with a specific client in mind? If so, who is that person?
Yes, myself. All the clothes I design are for myself first, as they are clothes I would love to have, then I hope that the others would like them too.
Is there a piece or a collection you are most proud of?
My crescent moon space Touareg trousers, as they are one of the first pieces I made, and gave this name. Last December I went to the desert, and on the first night I arrived, when my host saw my trousers and screamed: “Wow, it looks like the trousers of a Touareg coming from space!” I was so happy that this man who saw my trousers for the first time saw what I wanted to express through my trousers, without any explanation & in a very natural way…. but I like all my pieces, they are like my babies.
Have commercialism and/or the media had any impact on your work? Is this good or bad?
The fact that I started my brand in Morocco got me less exposed to commercialism or media. Of course I got interest from foreign media, but it was more about the cultural & social impact of my work, not the clothes themselves. So as it was difficult to evolve somewhere where there is nothing, it was of a great freedom to be where everything is to be made.
Who/what is something or someone fabulous that you think is underrated or overlooked?
African talents are underrated, occidental intelligence is overlooked.
Do you have any words of wisdom for someone starting out in your field?
“I AM KING OF NOTHING, AND STUDENT OF EVERYTHING.” Don’t miss any chance to learn and evolve and WORK, grow your balls as much as you can, fill your lungs as much as you can, because the road is long, and the word “easy” doesn’t belong to the adult life.
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Clothing
Amine Bendriouich (@aminebendriouich)
Photography
Christian Rinke (@popupcam)
Production
Zakarias Bendriouich
Makeup
Sergio Esche @ Kasteel Agent Barcelona
Model(s)
Alice Mueller @ LOUISA MODELS (Munich)
