Being born in Algeria and from Berbere descent, I wanted to slowly incorporate elements of my culture into the brand.
The goal was to offer a garment that pays hommage to where I’m from, my ancestors and their history, while still being relevant to modern fashion and current codes.
The burnous is a traditionnal cape, most often made out of wool, worn in the mountains during the cold months, but also as a stand out piece for special occasions.
It became a symbol of the Algerian resistance during the colonial era, to assert the identity of our people that the colonizers were trying to erase. It even became a tactical garment for the fighters that were operating in the mountains and the Sahara.
This particular piece is one of the major pillar of the Sam Racim brand, where Form leads, Function follows.
The garment’s design leads, not it’s utility. It is not made to serve a function, but exists to be. It becomes sculpture, attitude, philosophy, it’s brutalism in cloth.
In most fashion, we expect clothes and the person that wears them to perform, to gesture, to pose, attract attention.
But this cape flips that scenario. Commanding space without seeking it, letting silence and form speak louder than movement.


