Nora Fatehi’s newest international single, ‘Nora,’ is receiving global acclaim. This hit song blends various cultures and worlds. Through fashion, choreography, and diverse locations, she celebrates her personal journey, a source of immense pride for her. Nora often attributes her distinctiveness in the industry to her upbringing and heritage. Now, let’s analyze the fashion and the significance of each look.
Blue look represents Nora Fatehi’s urban Canadian upbringing
She opted for the Toronto maple leaf jersey to represent Toronto, the city where she’s born in, she adds a blue fur crop bolero to signify her inherent glamorous personality from her early years, paired with sport adidas blue shorts, a fitted cap and silver crystal sneakers that signify both her cool urban personality traits and her love for the glitz and glam. She celebrates this part of her life because she recognises that it added a lot to her personality and helped her be more globally appealing as the world got to know her. This can also be seen through her hip hop choreography moves.
The Red and Green Maharashtra Kashta
This look was stunning and had an important meaning while telling her story in the music video. She chose this look specifically as it signifies the birth of the star “Nora Fatehi” in Mumbai.
This city is an integral part of her success story! She uses the colors red and green to represent the Moroccan Flag which displays a unique fusion of her new identity and her original identity. Reminding the audience that although she assimilated into the new environment and took on the Indian culture proudly, she always brought along with her, her Moroccan roots which led to a beautiful fusion of different worlds that made her unique and gave millions of South Asian/ North African and middle eastern fans representation in this manner for the first time. Fusing both and celebrating them through fashion but also using choreography to symbolize her success. mixing belly dance and Bollywood moves in this section to celebrate the elements of dance that turned her into a Star.
Both the Red and white Moroccan caftan looks
They were a way to represent her Amazigh Moroccan Roots and for the first time Nora shows us her Moroccan identity like never before, by creating modern interpretations of traditional garments. The Amazigh and Gnawa heritage have also been a source of inspiration for Nora in the music video and a way to celebrate how important this part of her identity is in the making of Nora Fatehi, the Brand!
Through makeup, jewellery, clothes, and dance we get to understand her Amazigh identity beautifully. In the red caftan look, Nora Fatehi is seen wearing a 200-year-old “Nakra” vintage Moroccan style belt with very elaborate silver Berber jewelry and a beautiful red silk caftan paired with thigh-high boots adding a hint of her modern western style. The very long 4 braid look is a way to showcase her African roots and that her identity is all about mixing cultures proudly.
Her one shoulder white caftan gives a modern twist to the traditional dress adding a hip belt, made out of “mozone” a traditional fabric usually made of threaded wool with incorporated sequins. Traditionally Moroccan Shikhat dancers perform with these hip belts which give a very hypnotising feeling when performed.
What’s very interesting in this music video for the first time through the outfits and the dance, Nora honours the Shikhat, Chaabi and Gnawa dance culture like never before.
Gnawa culture is a centuries-old Moroccan practice rooted in African spirituality. In the white caftan sequence through the Berber makeup tattoos on her face and her Moroccan-style dance, you can witness Nora’s dance turn more into a surreal spiritual experience. Nora Fatehi’s interpretation of her Identity, a fusion of Afro-Moroccan, Indian, and urban Canadian culture is a beautiful watch you can’t help but feel connected and invested in her journey to success. The usage of the car depicted her life as a traveler across the world which initiated her journey, to the different dance styles depicted from hip-hop to chaabi (Moroccan dance) to represent the cosmopolitan and diverse skill that made her the star she is today!
The tree depicted behind her in the scenes where she’s wearing the red caftan represents who she is. The tree and the root of the tree are symbolic of Nora Fatehi, just like the tree she also has many roots that make up her identity and she’s celebrating those roots with her new song.
Are you familiar with NORA? Keep an eye out for her forthcoming projects.
