ARTSI IFRACH
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Marrakech resident, Artsi Ifrach is a fashion designer who is better known as Maison ARTC in the fashion world. On a quest for independence, Ifrach has found his sanctuary in Morocco and has been actively creating his “one of a kind” collections since. Artsi – meaning ‘My Country’ in Hebrew and Arabic – lived in Tel Aviv, Paris and Amsterdam before settling in Morocco and has an extensive understanding of multiculturalism. Using colors and prints as his landscape, Artsi’s imaginative designs reflect on space and time. He started fashion designing at the age of 28 while he was living in Amsterdam. From there, he moved to Paris where he was represented by 2m Bureau, showing in the Haute Couture Week.
Today, living and working from Marrakech, his parents’ hometown, he also collaborates with local photographers such as Laila Hida and Mous Lamrabat. With Lamrabat he created an artistic duo called @artsimous, a collaboration of photography that tells a story of cultural crossover, where the inspiration comes from culture, history and art. His goal is to keep the picture as something timeless, that remains long after the collection is finished. “I believe that fashion is a part of art that tells something about, in a period that meets culture and individuality. I am an autodidact, I do not work with design skills, I am working just with creativity and intuition,” he says.
His influences come from history, culture and traditions and he searches the past in order to carry on into the future. He is known for his rich, colorful and eclectic style. “I am trying, through the material that surrounds me, to create a story that captures culture, memories, and artisanal work. The materials I am using are vintage and handmade. I create my pieces with a total freedom, it comes from the state of mind I have at that moment. The point is to be respectful of the past, of the culture and to bring something warmer. In my pieces, I want to create a memory that moves me emotionally. Vintage fabrics can match past and present together. Colors, patterns and prints are my landscape.”
Napoleon said once “there is a thin line between the ridiculous
and the sublime” and, according to Ifrach, he is searching for this line every time, in every piece. “I am always thinking about what we would like to have that we do not have yet, as a result, I believe that the strongest part we all have is our individuality. That is what I am trying to do with “one-of-a- kind” pieces, as we all are “one-of-a- kind,”” he says.
