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Join on Telegram Rabat – A world-renowned fashion and jewelry designer, Leila El Hajouji’s dextrous management of her family’s business is a vibrant testimony to the grand cultural shift Morocco’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has witnessed in recent decades.
As more women establish themselves in fields that were once the exclusive preserve of men, Leila is a leading candidate for any prize aimed at celebrating Morocco’s inspirational women leaders and professional trailblazers.
The number of Moroccan businesswomen has exceeded 15,000 in the past decade, and is constantly growing as many more women are becoming increasingly interested in launching their own businesses.
From IT and fintech sectors to e-commerce and cosmetics sectors, Moroccan women are proving their mettle in a wide range of industries.
Joining the world in celebrating International Women’s Day this week, Morocco World News is shining a light on the achievements of female pioneers in different sectors, including the jewelry industry.
Rafinity, the family-owned Moroccan jewelry business that Leila and her sister Meriem El Hajouji have propelled to unprecedented heights of success and global recognition in recent years, has been standing out in Morocco and beyond by innovating and offering customers the finest jewelry with the latest designs that features a peculiarly Moroccan touch.
After Aziz El Hajouji created the company in 1969, his two daughters, Leila and Meriem, soon picked their father’s passion for jewelry to also become jewelry designers and carry on their family business to expand it worldwide.
Leila El Hajouji holds a master’s degree from the Business School Lausanne in Switzerland, and is a certified GIA. A GIA Diamond is a diamond certified by the Gemological Institute of America, the World’s foremost authority in independent third-party diamond certification.
With a headquarter in Casablanca, the heirs of Rafinity brand have inaugurated several boutiques across Morocco and have also begun their journey in fashion design alongside their work in jewelry.
Rafinity haute couture
With over 20 years of experience in the jewelry industry, Leila El Hajouji and her sister Meriem El Hajoujia launched the Rafinity Haute Couture collection and traditional high jewelry, a luxurious brand with customized designs that features majestic Moroccan traditions and modern look.
El Hajouji’s exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design, which is carefully made by hand, aims to preserve the traditional caftan and Moroccan authenticity while spreading the Made in Morocco brand through sophisticated, elegant, and unique creations for women.
Rafinity’s fashion creations have been worn by several Moroccan and international celebrities such as Leila Haddioui, Asma Lmnawer, Sherine Abdel-Wahab, and Abla Soufi.
With a vision to make its jewelry and creations accessible to all women, regardless of social status, Rafinity seeks distinction in terms of look by relying on artisanal expertise and modernity of Morocco’s inspiring history.
El Hajouji explained in an interview in April 2018 that her mother and grandmother used to make caftans for her and her sister, making her peers curious about who made the beautifully customized designs. This only made the two sisters’ interest in the fashion industry grow, leading them to gradually master the skills they needed to one day display their creations in international festivals.
On special occasions such as weddings and eid celebrations, Moroccan women wear caftans that come in various styles and colors. The traditional Moroccan dress is so dazzling that it even takes audiences’ breath away at fashion shows across the globe.
In 2018, El Hajouji held a fashion show at the Miss Film International Festival de Cannes, at the London Fashion Week, and at the London Arabia Art Fashion Week. The following year, one of her collections was prominently exhibited at the Caftans du Maroc (Morocco’s Caftans) festival in Dubai, the UAE.
In Morocco, every region has a specific handmade fashion signature or creation. With collections such as Tarz Rbati (Rabat-inspired creations), Tarz Lfassi (Fez-inspired signatures), and other inspirations from regions across Morocco, El Hajouji makes sure to adorn Rafinity’s brilliant creations with the peerless charm and eye-catching colorfulness of of the world-renowned Moroccan dress.
Biggest showroom in Africa
The caftan is deeply rooted in Morocco’s history, but to complete its look, jewelries are a must. Besides El Hajouji’s passion for luxurious fashion, she also designs jewelry for every caftan.
In December 2018, the El Hajouji family lifted the veil on one of its biggest achievements — a new ultra-modern factory, adding to the family’s heritage in terms of jewelry creation that they have required for several years.
Occupying an area of over 27,000 square meter, the new factory hosts various production sites, workshops, a jewelry clinic, and an exclusive jewelry gallery.
The giant project also has a mosque for approximately 1,000 people, a dining hall, a sports ground of 1,500 square meter, and a car parking lot.
In her speech during the opening of the new headquarters, Leila emphasized that the facility features a showroom of 5000 square meter, the biggest in Morocco and Africa.
Growing up in a family with decades-long history in jewelry and fashion industries, El Hajouji makes sure that her creations encompass her unique touch developed since childhood.
She chooses the best materials to come up with Rafinity’s collection, from noble fabrics such as satin, silk, brocar, mocelin, gemstones and pearls used to stud jewelry, while blending light, catchy and flashy colors that are inspired by Morocco’s ancient cultural heritage to create an elegant look for Moroccan women.
With a goal of offering the best jewelry as a 100% Moroccan brand with an international dimension, Leila El Hajouji and her family seek to further meet their Moroccan and global clients’ needs by providing them with high-quality services and a pleasant shopping experience at their Casablanca’s headquarter.
