Transport yourself back in the days of the Nabateans on their Spice route or Marco Polo on the Silk Road. Here on both of these incredible roads is how traders, merchants, nomads and royals would move spices, silks, silver, incense to and from faraway lands . This is what Australian designer Camilla Franks collection Tales from A Reading Room makes me dream of the weaving of storytelling from all these journeys. Ancient mystical nomads on their caravans adorning themselves as they cross over foreign lands and cultures. 

Camilla Frank has captured it so well, the colours, the styling, the jewels , having grown up in Theatre herself she would transform her own costumes  to give life into them. Doing this manifested into  a whole line of Kaftans and from there she expanded into home ware, jewellery, accessories, children's line and more. A Modern Nomadic Merchant. 

Her online shop is full of merchandise but sadly they only deliver in Australia  and where she has a whole list of boutiques. For ther rest of the world there is stockist list on the site.

I want the whole package must be my multi cultural blood. xo

All images sourced via Camilla 

Romeo Kaftan 2020 - Casablanca

Algerian items exhibited in the Musée de l'Homme, Paris, 1963.

[1] : A long velvet Kaftan worn on top of a Ghlila Djabadouli made also with velvet and both embroidered with golden threads.

Algerian women used to wear their Kaftans in a very distinctive way in comparaison of other North African women. Indeed, they were generally worn with a velvet vest.

[2] : Chechia made of velvet and embellished with golden and silver embroidery. it is worn all over Algeria with different and various attires.

[3] : Traditional sleeveless Ghlila made of a very known fabric back then in Algeria called El Khemkha. It has also a typical Algerian embroidery pattern العوينات

[4] : Traditional Frimla embroidered with golden yarns.

[5] : Another type of Frimla made up of cotton, velvet and silk.

[6] : Traditional belt called Arbi/Dziri made out of cotton and silk and weaved with golden yarns.

Originating from Ancient Persia, the Kaftan arrives in North Africa in the 16th century when the Ottomans settled in the region. In Algeria, the attire was first worn by men, mostly by notables and tribal leaders. Over time, it became very popular among Algerian women living in cities such as Algiers, Tlemcen, Constantine and Annaba.

At that time, the Kaftan worn by women became a more flared and fitted attire and was made from luxurious fabrics like silk, brocarde and velvet which were embroidered with both silvered or golden threads. Later on, Algerian women managed to create different styles of Kaftans such as the short and sleeveless one which is from the city of Tlemcen or the one from Annaba which is embroidered with a very famous triangular-shaped Algerian embroidery.

In one of her books, Naima Boujibar explains that the Kaftan might have been introduced to Morocco by the Saadi king Abd Al-Malik who had lived in Algiers and Istanbul. 

Sources : 

Encyclopedia of Islam.

Museum With No Frontiers.

‘Andalusian Morocco, a discovery in Living Art’ by Naima El Khatib Boujibar. 

‘The traditional Algerian Costume’ by Pascale Pichault.