PARIS: Moroccan couturier Sara Chraibi took part in Paris Haute Couture Week on Thursday evening with a showcase that paid tribute to her home country. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle As with a number of other collections shown on the official calendar this summer, the designer kept her color palette muted and instead showed off her flair for expert tailoring and embellishment. An oversized blazer dress with slouchy sleeves competed for attention on the outdoor runway with tailored pantsuits featuring Arabesque capes seemingly inspired by traditional Moroccan design. Sleek, slinky gowns were overlain with sheer material reminiscent of kaftans while embellishments were geometric and studded along the front of bodices on a number of looks. The designer made good use of strands of sabra — a silk extracted from aloe vera plants that is traditionally used in Moroccan design — and also featured sensual materials such as chiffon in the collection that was shown in the grounds of a Parisian high school. Chraibi, who joined the Federation de la Haute Couture as a guest member, is known to breathe new life into Morocco’s age-old craftsmanship techniques and that design ethos was on show on Thursday in her Fall/Winter 2023/24 collection. Simple silhouettes placed a focus on Chraibi’s deft handling of materials and her ability to cut patterns with sharp precision. Founded in 2012, her Rabat-based label was one of just five Arab-helmed brands to hit the runway at this edition of Haute Couture Week – Lebanon’s Georges Hobeika, Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad, as well as Saudi-led, Paris-based label Ashi Studio, rounded out the list. Other notable names on the coveted official calendar included Chanel, Valentino, Giorgio Armani Prive and Jean Paul Gaultier, among others. Chraibi counts Moroccan singers Manal and Asma Lmnawar and French Moroccan actress Ouidad Elma among her fans and is growing her client list to include discerning clientele from across the region, including the Gulf. The designer studied architecture in Rabat and then in Paris, where she graduated in philosophy and architectural theory. She made her Paris Haute Couture Week debut in January, when she showed off a collection that combined traditional Moroccan craftsmanship with modern elements and materials.