On Location: Morocco 

Ahead of our seasonal releases, the AETHER team typically travels to far-off locales in order to field-test and photograph our upcoming styles under various real-world conditions — and as an excuse to globetrot to parts of the world we haven’t yet visited. The team has already explored a diverse array of locations such as Hawaii, Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, and Costa Rica, just to name a few. Before releasing our all-new Spring 2026 Collection, we hopped a flight to Northern Africa to visit the Kingdom of Morocco.

Marrakesh

Between its vast array of terrain types, extremely diverse weather, and picturesque towns and landscapes, Morocco was an obvious choice for AETHER’s first-ever trip to Africa. After doing some research and determining our route and a rough itinerary, we packed our bags and hopped a series of flights before eventually touching down at the Ménara International Airport in Marrakesh.

Though this week-long trip consisted of a big loop that would eventually see us back in Marrakesh, we nonetheless spent our first full day there exploring the so-called “Red City.” On top of taking in the local architecture, we also made our way to the city’s enormous open-air market, giving us a taste of the local culture and available goods — along with a taste of the local food being offered up there. Due to how difficult it is to drive there, coupled with the generally maze-like layout of the Marrakesh Medina, we opted to tour the sprawling landmark with a dedicated guide — a tip we’d urge anyone traveling there to opt for. On the heels of our visit to the market, we retired to Les Jardins de La Koutoubia de Morocco — a stunning 5-star hotel that offers luxury accommodations and is located just on the outskirts of the city — to rest up for the following day.

Agafay Desert

Waking up bright and early, we piled into some rented Land Cruisers and pointed them towards the Agafay Desert. With the awe-inspiring Atlas Mountains serving as our backdrop, we spent the day utilizing the Agafay Desert as our playground — and proving ground for some of our new Spring ’26 styles. This allowed us to put our all-new Moto gear through its paces. From our second-generation Mojave riding jacket and pants to the new Circuit Moto Glove to the redesigned Tioga Motorcycle Boot, everything performed phenomenally, making it clear the extensive R&D and public feedback was well worth the effort.

During our time there we got to experience riding camels, as well as riding a pair of Ducati DesertX adventure motorcycles around the sandy and rocky terrain. As the sun began to set, we made our way to a desert basecamp comprised of traditional Moroccan tents where we’d lay our heads for the night — and enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal that included tagine, rfissa, and couscous.

Ourika Valley

Getting up the next day when it was still dark out, we got to take in the Moroccan sunrise over the desert as we made our way to the Ourika valley region. Meeting up with a local guide, we began a somewhat treacherous hike to the Setti Fatma waterfalls. After a quick stop for another traditional Moroccan lunch along the way, we continued our trek until reaching the waterfalls. Not only was it a breathtaking location, but the combination of hiking on rocky trails and the actual waterfalls themselves proved to be perfect for testing some of our water-repellent and waterproof styles like our all-new Wallace Rain Parkas and the Frontier Hooded Shell Jacket and Pant.

Essaouira

Our next stop was the historic, windy port city of Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. While driving there, we got to stop off and experience the famous tree-climbing goats, which navigate their way up Argan trees in order to eat the fruit. Once reaching Essaouira, we checked out its fortified 18th-century Medina — which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Just outside of "Africa's Windy City," we partook in a little bit of obligatory kite-flying. With the immense wind and all the sand being kicked up, several of our new styles — including the Landon Jacket — demonstrated themselves to be great options for shielding us from being sandblasted. With their side shields, our existing Summit Sunglasses also proved to be stellar options for fortifying our eyes and keeping sand out. That night, we had the privilege of staying in a traditional Moroccan Riad where we were also treated to another traditional Moroccan meal.

Taghazout

Slowing down a bit the following day, we took an opportunity to rest up and further explore the coastal city. After another night crashing in a Riad, we once again packed up the Land Cruisers and set off for another coastal town, this time the fishing village of Taghazout — also on Morocco's Atlantic coast, just north of the city of Agadir. With its stunning architecture and coastal views, we spent the next day shooting a myriad of styles from our Spring 2026 Collection.

On our way back to Marakesh, we stopped off to do a quick photoshoot in the sand dunes. While there, we engaged in a bit of impromptu snowboarding, riding the alpine boards down the dunes before hiking back up and repeating the process several times over.

Circling Back To Marrakesh

The following morning we awoke in Marrakesh to grey clouds and ample rain. We took the opportunity to further field-test some of our rain styles while walking around the Medina. We also met several locals that we ended up sitting down with to drink some traditional Moroccan tea in the inclement weather. After that it was back to Les Jardins de La Koutoubia to pack our bags, and then off to the airport for a roughly 16-hour journey home back to Los Angeles. Though we were only in the Kingdom of Morocco for a week or so, we got to explore a massive array of locations, from the city to the coast to the desert to the mountains.