Moroccan-Italian Designer Zina Louhaichy Styles Her Favorite Gandouras

CairoScene

18-07-2025

Moroccan-Italian Designer Zina Louhaichy Styles Her Favorite Gandouras
Zina Louhaichy doesn't just wear a lot of hats - she wears them well. 'I carry so many hats,' she laughs. 'And I love hats.' The metaphor writes itself.
Based in New York, Louhaichy is a Moroccan-Italian actress, designer, photographer, and creative polymath who approaches getting dressed as both art and armour. 'Your outfit is a story—how you feel that day, what you want to say, or what you want to protect,' she says. 'Some days it's like, I want to be seen. Other days it's: I don't want to talk to anyone, but I still want to slay.'
Often, that feeling draws from home. North African silhouettes, textures, and jewellery regularly anchor her looks. 'There's something so luxurious and grand about Moroccan fashion—it's all about layering, gold, mixing prints and textiles. Even the way we wear kaftans or takchitas, it's always been about showing up and showing out. That's where I get my maximalism from.'
Her own brand, Louhaichy, channels that same energy. Handmade and deeply personal, it leans into fashion as storytelling - with humour, heritage, and drama all stitched in.
At just 22, Louhaichy is as comfortable behind a camera as she is in front of it, sewing silhouettes, directing campaigns, and building a fashion label between takeout orders and existential crises. To understand her style is to enter a world where a Moroccan djellaba flirts with Vivienne Westwood energy, a lace top doubles as emotional armour, and a single gold bangle might spark a conversation about diaspora identity before the Uber even arrives. She treats fashion like she treats art - fluid, feral, and fabulously unserious. 'It's like creating a character for the day,' she shrugs. 'Then at night, you take it all off - and you're still you.'
And who exactly is that? Someone who wants to write, direct, style, sew, perform, and provoke - all in one look. 'They all merge,' she explains. 'Whatever I make, it's a Zina project.' Whether it's a lacey ode to the unboxing of North African womanhood or a cheeky graphic tee that reads All My Exes Live in Morocco, her work is grounded in a joyful kind of rebellion. 'I just want to have fun,' she says. 'I want to mix silhouettes, make things sweaty, and never lose my sparkle.'
In this SceneStyled SELECTS, Zina curates five head-turning outfits straight from the Zina-verse - spanning nostalgic 2000s references, Eid auntie glamour, and cosmic cowboy realness. Expect pink. Expect pins. Expect chaos with a point. Just don't expect her to be one thing.
Look One | Gallery Night In L.E.S
'It's merging the styles of New York. I had a bit of fun with it—I put some designer items that I do not own yet, but inshallah, soon. It's wearing my pride on my sleeves. It's sleek, it's classy, and it's Louhaichy.'
Pairing the flowing black gandoura with over-the-knee suede boots, Luar sunglasses, and her own structured top, creating a silhouette that's sharp yet rooted in cultural pride. A Yankees cap nods to the city that raised her.
Men's Moroccan Gandora
Louhaichy | Noire Belle Top THE ROW | Bindle Medium leather tote bag
ALAÏA — Suede over-the-knee boots
Luar | Double Eyewear - Black/Grey
Iseder — NY Ring "Black"
New Era MLB New York Yankees Pillow Box Series Ball Cap Navy
Look Two | 2000s Maghrebiya It-Girl
'This is so me in a look. The djellaba, and being able to pin it up on the side—I can use safety pins to show the tights and the sunglasses—it's very 2000s and reminds me of being a young girl in New York City.'
Velvet leopard print meets sheer thigh-highs, shield sunglasses, and a Tamagotchi charm. It's Y2K with a Maghrebi twist—cheeky, confident, and entirely hers.
Moroccan Djellaba
Calzedonia | 20 Denier Sheer Thigh-Highs in Black
Juicy Couture | Red Handbag
Pink Tamagotchi | Lots of Love Electronic Pet
Yankees Bamboo Earrings
ISABEL MARANT | Bekett hidden-wedge sneakers
Jet Set Candy | MetroCard Ring
Motorola | Hot Pink Razr Flip Phone
Look Three | Eid @ Daar Dyal Mweema
'This is a bit of an elevated look. I wanted to include MENA brands—Eid at my Mweema's house—so it's a merging between NYC and the traditional Amazigh jewellery. Giving a new look to the wedding caftan.'
A sentimental celebration look blending traditional and contemporary MENA references. Layering a vintage white Moroccan caftan with silver Alexis Bittar jewellery, a lace keffiyeh from Nazzal Studio, and bold Amazigh pieces- rendering something sacred but utterly modern.
Vintage Moroccan White wedding Caftan New Berber Kabyle Amazigh headpiece
Alexis Bittar | Molten Silver Knuckle Ring
Alexis Bittar | Molten Puffy Teardrop Earrings
Atlal From Galbi | Ballerina Roots Galbi
Nazzal Studios | Lace Keffiyeh Long
Amazigh Necklace
Look Four — Shopping Spree In Soho xx
'It's Vivienne Westwood X Louhaichy X NYC X Morocco. The fabrics juxtapose against each other—they're very harsh—and then the lace and the mesh creates this light and airy look.'
She's stomping through Soho with fibula earrings, frilly socks, a plaid skirt, and yellow Balenciaga—no rules, just brilliance.
Folkwear | Blue Stripped Djellaba (pinned up with safety pins to show skirt)
Chopova Lowena | Plaid Print Midi Length Skirt
Balenciaga | City leather bag in yellow
For Love & Lemons | Knee Hight Frilly Socks In Cream
Handmade silver fibula earrings
Amazigh Vintage Tribal Necklace
Manolo Blahnik | Maysale Leather Mules
Look Five | Chilling @ Home AKA (DND Unless You Brought Atay)
'I would wear this scarf around my head. I own all of these pieces. I always wear my Allah necklace—this is really how I chill at home. If you're coming, bring something. I like a lot of pink.'
Her softest, pinkest self—a home gandoura in rose, vintage slippers, gold bangles, and the necklace she never takes off. This is Zina Louhaichy's Sunday softness, accessorised with henna and boundaries.
Moroccan Home Gandoura In Pink
Tisbinit | Amazigh Traditional Scarf, Silk
MOANI bangles set - Gold Bangles
Crystal & gold Allah (SWT) pendant and necklace
Bamboo Heart Hoop Earrings 14K Yellow Gold-Plated Silver 925
My Meemaw's Slipper | Women's Chinese Slippers Sandals Slip in Pink
Henna