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This week, the Moroccan National Olympic Committee (CNOM) unveiled the national athletes' outfits for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, set to take place at the Stade de France on July 26.
Designed by Ali Drissi, the ensemble features a beige jacket adorned with a slender green star, red pants, gold buttons, and colorful details. Drissi meticulously crafted a garment that symbolizes the nation while embodying the universal spirit of the Olympic Games.
The CNOM selected this design from various proposals. «The idea is to create an outfit for Olympians who will represent not only their disciplines but also their nation, in an event of major global importance», Drissi told Yabiladi.
He emphasized that Morocco's symbols, regions, and colors were central to the design process. Drissi explained, «color is a major source of inspiration in my design work».
A Universal garment, celebrating regional diversity
He chose «a warm, sandy beige reminiscent of the Sahara desert dunes, symbolizing our territorial unity». «Of course, there's also the national flag, which is very connected to the country's landscape», he said. The deep green represents the Atlas Mountains, Morocco’s fertile regions, and oases, «which I find very beautiful and chic at the same time», he added.
The designer also used white, which evokes the light-reflective landscapes of cities like Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier. Red symbolizes the earth of Marrakech or the Chaouia region.
For Ali Drissi, it's all about reproducing the colors and moods that come to mind when he thinks of Morocco. Gold, used in the buttons, represents the monarchy, the Casablanca-based designer detailed.
«It's part of the house's identity to pay attention to detail. This is especially true when we're designing an outfit that is supposed to be seen from afar. You have to imagine a parade outfit on a hundred people, advancing together. Spectators and viewers need to be able to recognize the nation's emblems on them».
Details and movement
The interior of the jackets features the names of previous national Olympic champions, honoring them through a garment worn by their eventual successors.
Drissi aimed for an elegant, urban style with «a color block and an enlarged, stretched star, giving an impression of elevation». He focused on creating movement and visual impact, with small details that stand out even from a distance.
«There's movement, as well as points of light or color that you will able to distinguish, even from a distance, which make all the difference. The idea is also to give this side where there are details, which seem small but with a significant visual impact, as they are repeated through the people wearing them and moving forward together», Ali Drissi said.
The clothing is «100% Moroccan», with all materials sourced and produced in Morocco. The shoes, featuring red and green laces, result from a collaboration between Drissi and cartoonist-illustrator Rebel Spirit. «Everything was created, imagined, and manufactured in Morocco», Drissi proudly stated.
