MARRAKECH, Morocco – In Marrakech, Inshallah , Arabic for “if God is willing” or “everything happens for a reason,” is a phrase locals use a lot. This perhaps couldn’t be more true in the case of fashion legend Romeo Gigli’s career, which pivoted when his enthusiasm for the fast-paced Milan fashion scene faded and eventually made a new life for his family in Northern Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just as the golden hour has descended atop the Medina of Marrakech, Gigli walks into a busy Berber fusion restaurant called Black Chich. His gray hair is gathered in a bun and he’s donning his signature low-crotch ultra-tailored harem trousers.

With the ease of a local, he guides me through the dusty, narrow streets filled with honking bicycles, wagons full of merchandise and past

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