All businesses start with a dream, and ours was simple…… to share our love and insider knowledge of all things Morocco with our beautiful clients! 

From our deliciously hand-crafted leather shoes to our magical bespoke Moroccan getaways, we have personally racked up the miles to find our very favourite wares and places. In the process we’ve made friends, built relationships and have shared fragrant mint tea, every step of the way! 

Our travel dreams may have been dashed for now, so while we wait for the skies to open up again, we’re having fun reconnecting with our fabulous artisans, who are excited about the new orders we’re sending through. 

Here’s a little insight into our sourcing world, which we started in 2014.

We like sourcing because… 

HASSAN: For me the main thing I enjoy is meeting with our suppliers. They’ve become so much more than just that .. they’re our friends. I also like our system of sourcing - our ‘Momkin sessions’- where we sort through products and keep reconsidering ‘maybe’ items, until we settle on our order. 

SAL: I love the theatre and human connection that is ingrained every time we source, and the sense of tradition in the process. And of course the fun that Hassan and I have, haggling and laughing with our suppliers, over piles of rugs or antique pieces. We’ve also been designing some of our own pieces, like our Souk rings, made with vintage Moroccan coins – it’s incredible to work with these skilled craftsmen & see our concepts come to life.

Our favourite sourcing memories are…. 

HASSAN: My favorite memory is when are welcomed by our partners. It always starts with mint tea and a catch up. It is these beautiful conversations that I cherish very much. We are so lucky to have met some fascinating people that we’ve now got great relationships with. 

SAL: I love that there’s never any business talk until we’ve shared fragrant mint tea and a chat (although invariably in Arabic or Berber - lucky for me you have all the languages covered, Hassan!). Our sourcing days are long, busy but amazingly invigorating! We literally cover miles and miles each day, with me running after Hassan, who sets a lightening pace as he navigates the alleyways! It’s incredibly inspiring, dashing between merchants and artisans, checking our design concepts as they’re being made, all amongst the sensual overload of the bustling medina. We invariably get to mid-afternoon before realising we’ve forgotten lunch (starving!), so a freshly made avocado smoothie, on the run, keeps us fueled up.

Our favourite products to source are… 

HASSAN: Actually I don’t have any preference. I like all of the items we source .. bread baskets, Berber rugs and handiras (Moroccan wedding blankets), shoes, leather bags and wallets. 

SAL: I love those one-off pieces – the ones that we weren’t expecting, but just catch our eye. Or a stunning colour palette that I can’t walk away from! And clearly I have a weakness for rugs… despite having bought hundreds over the years I still can’t resist them (ok, so my house is like a rug shop!)

What about custom sourcing…

HASSAN: I feel privileged to have helped with sourcing Sal‘s doors for her beautiful house in Sydney. Although she has designed the tiles, doors and mousharabieh screens these beautiful pieces of art remind me of the wonderful architecture we visit on our travels. These moments with talented designers like Sally are very important in my career. They are unusual experiences. 

SAL: I particularly love designing and sourcing custom pieces. I’m in awe of the ‘design to product’ process in Morocco, and loved designing the tiles, doors and finishes for our Sydney home. Having studied design, working directly with the artisans is an incredible, collaborative experience which is a dream come true! It’s fabulous to help clients and friends source special pieces for their home too! I agree with Hassan, it’s an honour to work with such skilled friends.

And from our artisan’s point of view …

HASSAN: The lockdown is definitely a challenge, but the strong relationship we have with our partners is a great asset. They love to hear from us, and are grateful to be receiving orders at the moment, especially because Morocco has totally lost it’s much needed tourist trade. It is an honor to have built such a relationship based on responsibility and trust.

SAL: I’m beyond grateful that, regardless of location, we have a fabulous, collaborative relationship with our suppliers and are able to help clients find or design exactly what they want. This is an incredibly tough time for so many, so it’s wonderful to be in touch with our friends at a time when their usual business has been halted.

How do you feel about going back in to sourcing….

HASSAN: I feel very happy to be sourcing. It’s the best way to keep myself busy at the moment when travel isn’t possible. It’s great to be able to source remotely, although to be honest I like to source with Sally. She is an expert as far as design, colors etc are concerned.

SAL: It’s awesome to be working with our artisans (although of course I’d prefer to be there… running around the souks with Hassan). Any little thing that we do will help sustain our friends and their families, and also will perpetuate these amazing, ancestral skills.