All Antwerp XL: Mohammed El Marnissi. “In October I will participate in a design competition in Doha” (Antwerp)
“It didn’t become Louis Vuitton,” smiles El Marnissi. “In February I received the news from them that I had been accepted and that I could start as an intern. But in the same period I was also contacted by Hugo Boss. They offered me a much better position.”
And so El Marnissi seized his chance. Al also mentioned that the city of love would not become his new starting point. “Well Stuttgart.” A real industrial city and home to car brands Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.
“I now live here in a studio, an hour away from where I work: Metzingen.” That is the town where fashion label Hugo Boss has its roots and is the outlet city in Europe. Shop after shop has been taken over by luxury brands. Balenciaga, Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Michael Kors and so on. “But I must confess that I have never been to the outlet part of the city. I can resist that perfectly.”
He’s been living in Stuttgart for five months now and it’s adjusting. “You will not meet a Belgian here. Except at work, most people don’t speak English either. Not even the young ones. Very weird. That really makes me feel like a foreigner,” he says. “I am of Moroccan origin, but in Belgium I have never felt like a foreigner. Here it is. I’ve even been discriminated against just because I don’t speak German yet. It is best to feel at home here.”
That in combination with a job in the fashion world. A hard world. Couldn’t that be easier? “It’s hard work, but this is what I like to do. At Hugo Boss I now work as a ‘junior designer’. I help design the collection. The days are long, but that’s just me at the Fashion Academy. You will be prepared there. In the meantime, I have applied for a new position within the company. That of ‘concept designer’. That’s basically how you inspire the designers. Now I am the designer, but I prefer to be the source of inspiration.”
Deadline Doha
It is difficult to talk about his ambitions with colleagues. “I am always very open, but I have already added that there is a lot of competition between them. That there is a lot of secrecy and that most prefer to keep their future plans to themselves.”
But he has good ambitions. “I’m still making a collection for myself,” he says. With his graduation collection at the Academy, he was still very successful a year ago. He won, among other things, the Knack Weekend Prize. Streetwear couture for men, that’s how he defines his designs. Colorful haute couture infused with Arabic influences that refer to its roots.
“Meanwhile, I have been selected for Fashion Trust Arabia, a design competition in Doha.” That selection came as a surprise. “Does she want to choose women’s clothing designers? But they see my pieces as unisex and they want to give me a chance.”
It takes cooking to get his designs ready early. Last weekend he went to Antwerp to meet with his seamstress. “Because I just can’t get it done and working with people who don’t speak English or Dutch is unfeasible,” he says. “In total I have to present three silhouettes. That’s eight pieces. It took us a year at the fashion academy. Now I only have time after work.” But he goes for it. “Last year the jury in Doha was made up of people I really look up to. Think Naomi Campbell. It is very interesting that I can present my designs and my vision to such big names. Who knows what will come of that.”
Homesickness
One day he hopes to be able to make a living from his own designs. Running your own label from Antwerp. That’s his dream. “But I also understand that there is still a long way to go there, that I will be working for others for a long time to come. This gives me a lot of experience and that is of course new. But I’m homesick. I miss Antwerp quite a lot.”
“Life in Stuttgart is completely different. It’s very expensive here. If I want to maintain the standard of living I had in Belgium, I have to pay double for that. Buying fresh fruit and vegetables is a challenge here. In Antwerp we are close to a port and you notice that. Here everything must be done. After two days my bananas are rotten in the fruit bowl. And do you know they associate french fries with McDonald’s here? That’s just not possible (laughs). Then I think: guys, you are completely crazy.”