For Kenza Fourati, Tunisian-French model and co-founder of Osay, it is important for one to wear their values of sustainability, ethics and heritage.
Before shaking hands and verbally introducing one’s self, our fashion choices often spoken on our behalf, whether it is in daily wear, job interviews or a night out.
Fashion has also been a central element in differentiating cultures worldwide, with each country flaunting its own intricate designs.
For Kenza Fourati, Tunisian-French model and co-founder of Osay, it is important for one to wear their values of sustainability, ethics and heritage.
Eager to represent her homeland’s culture, Fourati has been successful in enabling Osay’s shoes to walk the distance between Tunisia and New York.
Qatar as a cultural hub
Last week, Osay found another home in Qatar, at the Museum of Islamic Arts (MIA).
“It’s actually inspired by traditional shoes from Tunis, from Tunisia […] people used to wear it before going to the mosque, because it is a slipper. So for us to be actually here at the museum takes another meaning, because it’s so linked to the history of our brand and product,” Fourati told Doha News.
Fourati was in Doha last week partaking in the packed Qatar Creates week, where A-list celebrities from all over the world, primarily from the fashion industry, travelled to the Gulf state.
The eventful week was Fourati’s very first exposure to Qatar, joined by her husband MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin.
“I’m falling in love. Qatar has been such an incredible experience, it is the local, the international, the mix together of all cultures, of our culture, and the rest of the world,” she said.
Fourati has been among the key faces that have placed the contemporary Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on the global fashion map, touring the world and partaking in leading events within the industry .
She started her career at the age of 16 before moving to France, where she earned a degree in French Literature and Arts at Sorbonne University.
Fourati modeled for high-end brands including Dior to Chanel and walked prominent runaways, all whilst preserving her Tunisian identity particularly during the beginning of her career, when there was a visible lack of representation from, and towards, the MENA region.
In 2011, she was the first Arab Muslim woman to be on Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue’s pages. She was also on the cover of Vogue Italia in 2016 and Vogue Arabia in 2017.
Observing the changes within the industry, Fourati said that change is internal and has to be done in a gradual manner.
“I think there is definitely more representation [in the fashion industry], but I think we still have a long way to go. I think it’s amazing to see all of these incredible brands travelling […] but I think we could even have more representation to be honest,” said Fourati.
Surrounded by international stars in Qatar for the fashion events, the fashion designer said that Doha has depicted an image of evolution within the industry by uniting people from the east and the west.
“I think Qatar Creates have created this incredible thing of so much culture around us and also preserving our own culture, bringing contemporary artists from all over the world,” she told Doha News.
As a vocal supporter of Human Rights Watch in Tunisia, Fourati has used her membership at the Model Alliance and Model Mafia in ensuring the protection and safety of models in the industry.
Preserving heritage in fashion
As a proud Tunisian who seeks to share the rich culture of Tunis, Fourati launched Osay the Label in 2018, alongside Argentinian-American and Tunisian-born entrepreneur Simone Carrica.
Founded by two long-time friends, Osay (Our Stories Are Yours) helps support emerging talents, by collaborating with artisans under ethical and sustainable values.
The platform has further stood as part of Fourati’s passion for political activism, using art and supporting the people behind the crafts by placing them under the spotlight.
“Things that I care about [are] sustainability, ethics, making the invisible, the people who actually do the products, not only the people who design or wear the products. If you really care about the world, if you care about people who make your products, this is the brand for you,” she said.
Inspired by Tunisian culture, Osay introduced its loafers collection in 2019, inspired by the traditional shoes in Tunis that have been worn for decades, preserving a key cultural artefact.
The leather itself is recycled and modernised to merge fashion and comfort in a single item, garnering attention all the way in the US.
What makes the shoes stand out is their unique design that allows one to wear them either as slippers or as loafers to suit every occasion, maintaining the traditional design with a modern twist.
“It’s like making it extremely modern, taking something that has sustained times for generations and centuries, not even just generations, and making it extremely urban and contemporary. It’s old world meets New York in 2022,” she told Doha News.
Describing the shoes in a single sentence, Fourati emphasised that, “they are the most comfortable shoes you will ever wear.”
Osay’s footwear now stands in the shelves of MIA, one of Qatar’s key cultural hubs, surrounded by historical artefacts shaping the entirety of the MENA region and Muslim world—right where the brand belongs.
“For us as a young brand, everything is done in Tunisia. The art is really inspired by our history, and to be at the same time based in New York, I think it embodies everything we are trying to do with Osay. So this parallel is very important to us,” said Fourati.
