Depending on your location across the region we dearly call home, summer has either arrived or is about to hit. And if you’re anything like us, prepping for the next few months of sea and sun always means hitting the refresh button on our wardrobes, bidding farewell to fits that made last year’s stretch of heat memorable to make room for a new rotation.
Believe it or not, North Africa has a variety of homegrown brands that master the balance between function, form, and freshness, offering pieces that handle the climate without compromising style. Keep scrolling to discover six North African labels that’ll help you get through the season without breaking a sweat.
ISIS DUNYA (ALG/TUR)
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DÜNYA (@isisdunya)
The brainchild of Paris-based designer Dunya Boukhers, Isis Dunya has built a name through its abrasive approach to fashion, celebrating women, womanhood, and every form their expression can possibly take, whether conventional or not. Ecologically responsible and firm believers in conscious production methods, since 2018, the up-cycling label has sent waves across the internet thanks to its kitsch-leaning aesthetic, inclusive vision of identity and total rejection of rigid norms. Drawing from her French, Algerian, and Turkish background through cut, texture, and color, the designer’s influences translate into garments that are nearly impossible to ignore.
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FEAR2FUCKUP (EGY)
Singling yourself out in the sea of labels that exist in Cairo is basically like trying to find a needle in a haystack—except that when you do, you don’t lose sight of it again. Born out of the hustle and bustle of the Egyptian capital, the label takes its pulse from the local skating and music scenes. It designs based on what those respective disciplines require sartorially: think looser than usual fits, durable fabrics and pieces that move as much as the people who wear them. Their last collection, #FROZENCASTLES, showcased a wide range of what the Cairene label can do, featuring heavy French terry hoodies, precision-cut denim, and rugged workwear that could be spotted on the backs of many of the city’s creative figures.
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CHEZNOUS (TUN)
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Une publication partagée par CHEZ NOUS. (@cheznousbrand)
As a means to an end, Tunisian label ChezNous set out to achieve two things right from its start: wrestle against fast fashion and celebrate the richness of its roots that rarely get the attention they deserve. Spearheaded by France-based Tunisian designer Camelia Barbachi, the label hovers between tradition and the more modern, without ever overdoing it, always keeping things measured and to the point. Moroccan creative Zina Louhaichy, Tunisian comedian Hakim Jemili, and new wave singer Rita L’Oujdia count among those who’ve worn or represented the label, a reflection of the space it naturally occupies.
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Born In Exile (LIB)
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Une publication partagée par BORN IN EXILE (@born.in.exile)
If we had to name 10 Libyan labels in under 60 seconds, no word of a lie, we’d probably struggle a little. Not because there aren’t any, nor because they lack relevance, but because of the limited visibility and platforms afforded to them. Often sidelined from conversations about fashion, whenever we come across a brand from that very specific side of North Africa, we can’t help but want to back it. Enter: Born In Exile. Built from the realization that Libyan heritage is notably absent in the fashion industry, the ready-to-wear label sets out to fill that gap through collections that use clothing as a way to reassert a presence that has long been missing.
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Kamak (LIB/CHF)
If anyone thought that practicing a sport meant showing more skin, Kamak leans the other way. With the intent of challenging that assumption, the label wants to reintroduce modest clothing without the outdated feel. Rooted in the belief that ‘freedom begins when the gaze steps back,’ the label approaches design as a way to shift attention away from the body and back onto performance, crafting oversized, technical pieces that prioritize movement, comfort, and autonomy over display.
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Piesssa (MAR)
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Une publication partagée par piesssa® (@piesssa.png)
No summer fit is complete without good headwear, and that’s where Moroccan brand Piesssa steps in. With a range of snapbacks, the brand features common Moroccan references, everyday symbols, and slogans that are almost impossible to miss if you’ve been to the North African Kingdom enough times. Butagaz, one of the country’s main gas providers; Blan, a dialectal word that loosely translates to ‘motive’ or ‘scheme’; and Spéciale, a reference to the nation’s national malted beverage, are some of the recurring cues the brand flips into tongue-in-cheek designs that feel as familiar to locals as they do intriguing to outsiders.
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