Hey, I’m Sofia El Arabi! I’m a Moroccan fashion designer based between Casablanca & Marrakech. When I was young, I wanted to be an adventurer, and I can safely say that now, I am. My brand has since become a reflection of my adventures…I found my way to Bakchic while I was seeking my own self. We are all born in a pre-determined globalised culture where individuality has been saturated in a very complex, cross-cultural recipe. I started with an external expression of culture: style. How Arab history could explain our contemporary sense of style, how can we extract the best from our shared past with the Western world and so on.

Arab and African cultures are exceptionally rich and provide lots of food for thought. I see it as my duty, to interpret my culture through my label and share it with others. I love having the chance to share humanity in every little moment of my daily Moroccan life, a proximity between people in Morocco is very special. It’s a reassuring familiarity. Or something like that…

Mediterranean influences brought Moroccan style and a certain lightness, offset by the rigor and the nobility of the traditional dress. This carries over to beauty traditions and regimes. When my grandmother eats a banana, she does a facial with the peel, resulting in beautiful, healthy skin. I have learned so much from her, and my mother, about beauty. I’m also obsessed with the different kind of new Moroccan organic products, but I also mixed these with international brands that – quite literally – saved my skin. Here they are…



Hydration Is Beauty

I’ve never use products as they advise to. After washing my face in the morning, Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Cream and Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum – which has a gel texture – and I put it on my face and my neck. It allows for a fantastic massage (similar to what the Japanese do). Every night, I do the same routine before I sleep. Trust me: this is the best feeling ever. It really leaves the perfect amount of moisture.

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Hair Goals

I always get mad at my hair when I wake up in Casablanca (humidity and I are certainly not friends…). As such, this Argan Hair Serum has become one of my holy grail products. The Vitamin E in the oil helps to smooth frayed hair shafts and seal split ends, while the omega fatty acids work to strengthen hair. I use it as a night hair mask, before and after drying my hair, and I love to leave it on my hands after I’ve applied – trust me, they will be left smelling like sandalwood and feeling hydrated. It gives my hair the perfect amount of moisture without weighing it down. Oh, and it’s 100% organic AND it’s made in Morocco. Not much more I can ask for.

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When You Live Under The Moroccan Sun...

You know that you need to wear sunscreen every day, right? I used to hate wearing it until I found the perfect, natural, smooth, suncare tinted with a very high protection Bioderma Photoderm Nude Touch SPF 50+. It’s the perfect fusion with my skin and gives a natural look. I add three drops of the Nars Orgasm Illuminator on my cheeks and a tip on my nose. Voila!

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Don't Be Afraid Of Kissing

I’m truly dying over these Moroccan lipstick packaging, that’s one of the reasons I always have them in my bag. The problem is, I don’t even know the creator behind them… but they’ve always been magical in my eyes. In Morocco, they’re called “bouss mat khafch,” meaning “don’t be afraid of kissing”. It’s the perfect, pinky colour and it won’t leave your lips for at least 24 hours post-application.

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Cat Eyes

When you start putting eyeliner, you feel naked without, it but it brings such character to your look that it’s worth it. I wish I was able to balance both eyes but they never work out evenly. You may not be able to tell from afar, but if you peer at my eyes closely…safe to say you will notice the difference. Benefit’s They’re Real Push Up Gel Eyeliner Pen is a lifesaver for me. It’s very easy to do, and I can’t find it in Morocco so I always by an extra whenever I am overseas. Eyeliner is essential – for both my day and night routine – and if I can do it, you can do it too. Trust me on this one.