Jamilla Hoogenboom in 'Rock In The Casbah' by Adriano Russo for ELLE Italia AOC Fashion

Dutch model Jamilla Hoogenboom invites us into the Médina de Marrakech for ‘Rock In The Casbah’, a fashion story set in Morocco.

The Medina, Marrakech’s old city, founded in 1070–72 by the Almoravids, was known as the center of the Muslim world. It’s a labyrinth of winding alleys and colorful souks which are bustling and vibrant by day.

Much of the old city Medina is shuttered in darkness at night with no signs to guide strangers. My partner and I learned this fact first hand, when we walked the same streets now dark, in what became a spectacular night in our lives.

Shrouded in total darkness, with no lights in windows to guide us, we were totally in the care of the young man with a lantern, who waited for us when the driver could go no further. The experience has never left me and remains one of the best examples of ubuntu and also of “letting go” that I can think of.

Photographer Adriano Russo [IG] is behind the lens for ELLE Italia’s March 30th, 2023 issue. Monica Cufetti styles the denim-rich fashion story of oversized clothes with vests and wide-legs pants that speak to modest, modern dress with the exception of a bare midriff or two./ Beauty by Ezio Diaferia