La Grande Robe – The Next Generation

Dear friends and family, a group of cousins in Los Angeles have started a new tradition for our family's next generation of brides. We are creating a Henna Kit, including a new custom henna dress, better known as La Grande Robe, and other special items to prepare the brides for future generations. The tradition of wearing the henna dress and celebrating with a henna party is centuries old and part of our Moroccan heritage.

Many generations of women in the Chriqui family have worn the original dress, which dates back over 100 years. It was first worn by our family’s matriarch, Simy Chriqui, at her wedding to Judah Chriqui in 1911. The dress was then passed down to her daughter, Renée (Chriqui) Déry, who wore it at her wedding in 1933. Over the years, the dress became a cherished family heirloom, traveling to Morocco, France, Canada, and the United States. However, as time passed, the dress's condition deteriorated, and it had to be retired. In 2024, it is more important than ever to preserve this tradition by creating a new family heirloom for future generations.

Production of the new Grande Robe is currently underway. We selected Moroccan designer Albert Oiknine to design a new dress. We asked many women who had previously worn the dress for input on the new design. While there were suggestions to modernize the dress, we ultimately decided to maintain the traditional style, enhancing it with updated embroidery and more durable fabrics. Mr. Oiknine is renowned for his elegant, high-quality couture, and the new dress will feature hand-embroidered intricate patterns, artistically sewn with gold and silver threads to create stunning floral and geometric motifs. We aim to create a dress that will endure for another 100 years.

The henna kit we assemble will include La Grande Robe and a 20-page Moroccan Henna Guide Book. This guide, which we've crafted for future brides, details our family's history and the significance of henna and provides instructions on wearing the dress, preparing the henna, and conducting the henna ceremony.

We are asking for any contribution to help us reach our goal. Your support will ensure that La Grande Robe preserves our cultural heritage and allows us to pass down a cherished family heirloom to the next generation of brides.

Thank you for being part of our journey!

Kenny & Debbie Dery, Sandi Bouhadana, Lisa Gechtman, Danielle Hastie, Kathy Chriqui