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In 1977, when the call from elsewhere was making yet another comeback, famed French designer Yves Saint Laurent expressed a great appreciation for mid-eastern classics. "I love the simple, traditional forms of both Arab men's and women's dress," Saint Laurent told the international scene, "To me, nothing in fashion is more beautiful than the hooded burnoose."
Yves Saint Laurent had no direct association with Tunisia, but his muse was Arabian style, a style that has been worn across North Africa for centuries. Born in Oran, Algeria, the designer knew the style well, and made special point to add the touches from his homeland whether designing couture or his Rive Gauche ready-to-wear collections.
77 was the year Saint Laurent turned out a winter collection inspired by Mid-eastern split-level dressing. Based around the men’s look of a blazer worn over a tunic and trousers, the style as developed by Saint Laurent was fashion at its highest. The summer before, the designer had built an entire collection around the Caftan, with clean lines enhanced only by gorgeous color and soft fabrics.
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Tunisia has nothing like Morocco’s annual Caftan runway show, but has recently founded an event named Tunisian Fashion Week. Conceived with intention of lifting the country’s fashion and textile industry to the international stage, the show will each year introduce the scene to Tunisian designers. The city of Tunis is official host to the event. But in the effort to promote African fashion and culture, the city has partnered with Tshwane in South Africa. The cross-continental venture is called Fashion in Africa, and aims to see authentic African labels established to compete on the global market.
Facing out towards Europe at the coastal edge of Northern Africa, Tunisia is a crossroads of culture. All of modern European, characteristically Arabian, and classic Bedouin dress are worn in the country. Tunisian fashion history encompasses the djellabah, the caftan, the tunic, the burnoose, business suit, and the jeans-and-t-shirt. As a country with a predominantly Muslim population, modest dress is still appreciated. Even so, contemporary styles are favored by all generations and are the norm in many Tunisian cities.
