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Karim Adduchi is a Spanish designer of Moroccan descent that one should follow. This week he was named on Forbes magazine's 30 most influential people under 30. The young man has relied on fashion to discover his roots and promote the Amazigh culture in the world.
When meeting him during the «Fez Gathering» in the Kingdom's most spiritual city a few weeks ago, the young man was shining bright like a diamond. As a multilingual person, he can easily switch from Spanish to English in the blink of an eye, and that is not all, as he also speaks fluent Catalan, Darija and Berber and is trying to learn French. From the first minutes of his interview with Yabiladi, his passion for fashion was very pronounced.
Born in Imzouren, a small town near Al Hoceima, his parents were both tailors who decided to leave their home land to find «prosperity elsewhere», he told Yabiladi. Years later, the young man attended the University of Fine Arts in Barcelona, where he lived with his family. With his unquenched curiosity, he opted for Amsterdam, where he studied at The Gerrit Rietveld Academie, a Dutch academy for fine arts and design in the Netherlands.
«I studied fine arts in my second year, and then I went for fashion studies, which was not planned. I spent three years studying».
Roots and origins
Once in Amsterdam, away from his family, Karim Adduchi felt like a fish out of water in a very nostalgic way. «My passion comes from leaving Morocco as a kid. When I was in Barcelona, I was with my parents all the time. When I got away from them, I started feeling nostalgic about who I am, and where I come from», recalls the Imzouren native.
«I became obsessed with aesthetics and Moroccan poetry, everyday life, sounds and scents. I missed it so much that it became part of my world and a source of inspiration to me».
From an early age, Karim Adduchi's daily life was surrounded by scissors and fabrics. «I guess its part of my DNA», said the 30-year-old man while laughing. And for good reason, his parents were the perfect match for his future career. «It was my everyday life, a routine», said the designer. In other words, working in the fashion industry is «a way» to honor his family, which represents «a big part of his identity», he added. «My main strength is that not only I liked it, but I was part of it as well».
Karim Adduchi had a lot to say about himself in his latest collection, dedicated to Syrian refugees. «I had to use fashion as a platform to get to know people, to give them the opportunity to shine. Fashion is like a bridge that brings people together, it is a powerful tool that we can rely on to speak loud and change the world», said the Spanish national. «I am also an immigrant, I know what it means to leave things behind, even if it is not for the same purposes and reasons».
His collection is for those «who left their homes, and their countries», the young man asked them to «show off their skills in Syria and in Amsterdam», so that they could show showcase their talents, allow them to meet people and have a network.
«Fashion is a passion that brings hope. It's an adventure to get closer and talk about the hardships we had to go through. The road is full of obstacles, but if you have a goal, a dream, you'll get there».
Being named as one of the 30 most influential young people under 30 by Forbes fills Karim Adduchi with pride, «it shows the power of having a dream, to persevere and to conquer one's dreams». The Imzouren-native adds that he has only «three collections in [his] portfolio» and that he has been working in the field for only two years. «The best is yet to come,» he says, full of hope and dreams.
