Maison ARTC

Maison ARTC is the Marrakech-based from Israeli and Moroccan designer Artsi Ifrach. Originally a ballet dancer and possessing no formal training in fashion, the designer is completely self-taught and considers himself to be an autodidact. In his brand statement, Ifrach admits, “I create all my pieces with a total freedom from the state of mind I have at (any) moment.”

Ifrach’s work has garnered him an international reputation, with features in numerous major fashion magazines. Utilizing an imaginative approach to design, he manipulates traditional Moroccan influences with contemporary art codes to create unique, fantastical garments. In 2019, British Vogue credited him as one of the designers working to “dismantle cultural stereotypes”, his display at Arise Fashion Week bursting with bold originality, texture and an easy elegance. Since then, Maison ARTC has also shown at Haute Couture Week in Paris alongside some of the most renowned names in the industry.

As a designer, Ifrach is a staunch champion of the slow-fashion movement: his charismatic and one-of-a-kind pieces are crafted using raw materials, including old metals, and stacks of vintage fabrics. Asked about his strict use of only vintage materials, the designer says he is “fixing memories”. “By using something filled with memories,” he explained to Alex Eagle, “I’m transforming it into something new and making it alive again, so culture can go forward into the future and not just stay frozen in the past. It’s a new sense of respect.”