My trip to Morocco for the Mandala collection

Aloha,
My name is Greta Rose, and I’m a photographer, model, and author living in California. I’ve been working with San Lorenzo for what feels like a lifetime now, and I was so excited when they asked me to travel to Morocco for their newest collection.

Last November I had the opportunity to travel to Morocco to shoot the Mandala collection. Although my trip took place almost a year ago, the memories are fresh in my mind. It’s impossible to forget all the details that made Marrakesh so magical. There’s an aliveness to the streets, and that liveliness has a way of making all of your senses immediately tune into this place.  The smell of the spices, the sound of the call to prayer, all of the bright colors and intricate designs that catch your eye. It’s definitely a place that captures your attention right away, and refuses to let go. 


It’s a place filled with rich culture and diversity. You can see this on full display as you walk through the colorful markets filled with trinkets, spices, rugs, and so many other unique gifts. I definitely came home with my suitcase much fuller than it was when I left. 

The hospitality in Morocco was amazing. Every riad we went to, the staff was so kind and worked so hard to make our trip a great one. I even experienced a Hammam spa service for the first time. A Hamamam is a turkish bath, and is a common treatment in Morocco, that involves steam, exfoliation, and a massage. I left feeling like a whole new person. 

The food is another unique experience in Morocco. I spent one afternoon having tea at the Royal Mansour, who’s menu was designed by a very famous French chef, Yannick Alleno. The food was so beautifully presented and intricate. He paired ingredients together that I possibly would have never tried otherwise, and the setting was very special. I also had the pleasure of trying more local dishes to Morocco such as tajin at Riad Be, and of course, I never stopped sipping mint tea my entire trip. 


I’ve been on multiple campaign trips for San Lorenzo, but this one was the most challenging. One of our primary goals was to be respectful of Morocco and the people’s culture and beliefs. For this reason, we only shot the bikinis in the riads, and that was something completely new for me. I’m so used to shooting at the beach, or outside in general, and it was fun to get creative and find new ways to capture this collection while still being respectful of the place. There’s no doubt that Morocco was the perfect destination for the Mandala collection. With its intricate designs, colors that compliment every skin tone, and the variety of styles that are both modest and sexy, it fit in perfectly there.

A few of my personal favorites from this collection are:

The Smocked Triangle Top and Bottom in Indigo. (It’s a little daring, but stays in place.)

The Cropped Tank Top in Antique and The Soft Kiss Brief (A  perfect match if you’re looking for something a little more modest. You could even pair the top with some cutoff jeans and make an outfit out of it.)
The Crochet Top and Bottom in Mauve. (I love the details of this set, and the purple shade looks so good with a tan.)

Another thing I really love about this collection are the fuller coverage options. San Lorenzo has always been known for it’s more sexy styles, but I’m so happy to see that they’re adding more variety. It’s so important to include multiple styles in each collection that will flatter all body types, and give women the option to choose more modest or full coverage styles if they want to. There’s a lot of times where I reach for a bikini that’s fuller coverage, so I’m happy they included that in the Mandala collection.

I won’t soon forget the feeling of Morocco, and the way it calls on you to open your eyes and be in the moment. There’s so much beauty all around us, there are so many experiences that are just waiting to be had, we just have to be open to them.

xx,

Greta Rose


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