We are passionate about the design and production of our product line. Because if you're going to go to the trouble of monogramming, you want the embroidery to be sewn on something you love that's going to last.
So we look high and low around the world for the best craft(wo)manship based on the source of the textile we're using. If it's linen, we look to Northern Ireland or EU countries like Portugal or Lithuania. If it's heavyweight cotton canvas or jute, we look to India. If it's palm leaf or suede, we go straight to Morocco.
We've just finished up a buying trip to Marrakech, the perfect place to mix business with pleasure. If you've never been, the art, design and craft scene in Marrakech will astound you. There is so much happening all over the city, from deep in the medieval Medina to design districts in the more modern areas such as Guilez and Sidi Ghanem.
We always start our trip with a visit to the wholesaler who has been making our palm leaf baskets and suede bags to order. Based deep within and behind the basket souk, he oversees a wide range of craftspeople including the women who weave and sew the palm leaf, and the men who tan and cut the leather for handles and trim.
There are no factories here: this work is done by hand, either at home with the children underfoot or in the workshop in the Medina. As a result, each basket is a unique work of art that's been made using techniques handed down over centuries.
We love poking around the workshop to see what's new, experiment with different basket shapes, handle styles and leather trim colours. Then we get to work designing the bags we will launch in the coming months. On this trip we've put two new styles in to production and we can't wait to show them to you when they arrive.
We also redesigned our popular suede Soho Pouch, making it slightly larger and adding two new colours. It's hard not to be tempted by all the opportunities for colour in Marrakech, colour inspiration is everywhere. The natural vegetable dyes have been used for ages to create all the reds, blues, pinks, yellow and greens that are used in textiles and leather accessories.
Leather and suede in Marrakech comes from two main sources: the thicker, heavier leather is cowhide, and the thinner, lightweight leather is goat hide. Both are plentiful in this country due to the agricultural nature of their economy and the craftsmanship is amazing.
We love the way suede wears our embroidery... the contrast between the texture of the suede and the embroidery stitches is fantastic.
We are one of the few businesses that embroiders palm leaf baskets. A personalised basket with an embroidered monogram is a gorgeous, useful and stylish gift. The embroidery stitches move with the woven palm leaf so the design lasts as long as the basket. There is no peeling, cracking or fading as you see with painted monograms on baskets.
We love poking around the boutiques in Marrakech for design inspiration for our linens, bags and baskets. And the inspiration is endless.
We love meeting with weavers, potters, glass makers, embroiderers and more to hear about their craft. The passion, and patience, for perfection is something that is increasingly hard to find, but the Marrakech lifestyle attracts artisans both locally and from around the world.
So stay tuned to hear when our new bags and baskets arrive from Marrakech. They're going to be beautiful, handmade, all natural works of art that we elevate even further with embroidered monograms.
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