Anwar Bougroug on reconnecting with the soul of his eponymous brand
Anwar Bougroug is founder and creative director of bougroug, a nomadic fashion brand launched in 2018 that comes to life at the nexus of his Moroccan heritage and Swedish home. For Nataal, Bougroug, also a writer and one of Forbes Africa’s 30-under-30 2020, tells us about the journey of his latest collection, which continues his commitment to fluid silhouettes, this time realised in moreish shades of tangerine, mint and chocolate.
“After taking a hiatus during the pandemic, I spent a lot of time identifying the most important components of my brand and reflecting on what I wanted it to stand for. Something that started with me reconnecting with my Moroccan roots and childhood memories became a fashion brand catering to people who love traveling as much as I do. It’s been a humbling experience but also an incredible opportunity to create something from scratch that was truly fresh – the last few years have been so insightful and have changed my entire life.”
“Travel and escapism are my primary sources of inspiration and collections are always designed and developed while I’m in Morocco, as is this case with the latest one. Surrounded by the palms, the desert, the Atlantic on one side, and the Mediterranean on the other, the lifestyle concept of bougroug has always been about escaping the mundane and getting closer to nature and the sea.”
“Morocco is so utterly glamorous and laid back at the same time and that's what bougroug is all about”
“My sister’s response upon seeing this collection was that it ‘looks like clothes rich people wear on vacation’. Morocco is so utterly glamorous and laid-back at the same time. I love this type of resort vibe – it's elegant in such an easy way, and that's what bougroug is all about - being effortlessly cool while living your best life.”
“We’re still holding on to our gender-neutral fits. And we’re continuing to work with artisans to craft the ready-to-wear and leather goods. Sourcing fabrics from the same place as our ateliers means that we’re also decreasing the carbon footprint for each product. Sadly, in order to scale, we haven’t been able to keep all of our production in Morocco, as we did at the beginning. But we still create the brand imagery with young Moroccan creatives. This is the only way to really translate the energy and story that’s told through each collection. People often travel to Morocco and create content that is fetishising the culture, but we tell an authentic story from a modern perspective.”
Words and creative direction Anwar bougroug
Photography Ismail Otmani
Models Toussaint Khadia
Ghaly B.
Saiid M.
Location Beni Rugs
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Published on 20/07/2022