Samir Jamai: Moroccan fashion in the Moscow context
Samir Jamai is a Moroccan and Russian designer, fashion designer, stylist and artist known as the founder of the couture brand SAJA. His work combines traditional Moroccan culture with the modern language of high fashion.
Jamai’s projects are based on the idea of multiculturalism: the designer rethinks the classic Moroccan caftan, ganduru, takshita and jellaba, combining national silhouettes and decor with current global fashion trends. In the SAJA collections, traditional clothing appears not as a museum exhibit, but as the basis for modern couture fashion.
Moscow as a creative platform
Although Jamai hails from Morocco, the SAJA brand has actually formed and developed in Moscow. The designer says that he is inspired by Russian culture, history and architecture, and his task is to popularize Moroccan traditional clothing in Russia.
In November 2016, in the Moscow loft The Dome, a closed couture show “Historical Journey of a Moroccan Caftan to Moscow” was held. It featured handicrafts, takshits, jellabs and classic Moroccan kaftans - from elegant traditional clothing to modern interpretations.
Designer and socialite
Jamai works not only in fashion: he is also an artist, a teacher of plastic arts, a designer-decorator and a screenwriter director. He has collaborated with the Moroccan World Association for Economic and Social Development and is a member of the Art Association of Oriental Masters.
In 2026, acting as President of the Restaurant Sports Federation of Morocco, Samir Jamai was awarded the profile award at the World Cup. This is another aspect of his international work outside of the fashion industry.
Why is it important
The work of Samir Jamai shows how a traditional Moroccan costume can live in a modern metropolis and enter into a dialogue with the Russian cultural environment. His shows in Moscow turn the kaftan from a national symbol into a language of intercultural exchange between Morocco, Russia and world fashion.
