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MOROCCO EXPRESS
Nina Mohammad-Galbert playfully reinterprets tradition

Hidden down a narrow street in Fez medina, Mountains.The artisans, who learned the skill from
Morocco’s beautifully preserved old city, Nina their elders, use handloom weaving practices to
Mohammad-Galbert works inside her light-filled realise her designs, fusing traditional motifs with
studio. The designer and creative director of Mohammad-Galbert’s contemporary ideas. In Fez,
Artisan Project displays her nature-inspired the medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; a
collection of hand-woven throws, rugs and towels network of winding streets, squares and souks.The
draped on chairs and benches. They sit alongside clip-clop rhythm of the loom fills the workshop
vintage kaftans and wedding blankets, beloved where Yihya Yihyawi works. Yihya is a fourth-
pieces she has sourced from local souks and kept generation weaver who produces Artisan Project’s
for inspiration. towels and blankets. He learned to weave aged 10,
standing on a stool to reach the loom.
Mohammad-Galbert founded Artisan Project when
she moved from Los Angeles to Fez in 2011. She Artisan Project’s early pieces used vivid patterns
had always dreamed of living beyond the borders and neon hues, but her recent collections are
of the United States. Raised in San Francisco, by stripped-back and simplified, drawing inspiration
Palestinian parents, her passion for textiles began in from the textures and tones of Morocco’s natural
childhood, as her mother and grandmother had a landscapes. ‘These pieces are more sober and
passion for embroidery, which has a strong peaceful. It’s closer to how I feel about life now.’
tradition in Palestine. Mohammad-Galbert uses predominantly raw
cotton and wool, sourced in souks in Fez and the
Mohammad-Galbert had always loved the Middle Atlas mountain area, where the wool is
Moroccan aesthetic, and she chose Fez because it cleaned and spooled by hand. Deep red skies and
is the country’s craft capital, and more traditional earthy desert colours are interpreted through
and lesser known than Marrakech. Weaving interwoven metallic threads and dip-dye
blankets is mainly done by men (as it requires time techniques.Though still a fledgling company, Artisan
and muscle), while women traditionally weave rugs. Project has built a loyal following of clients,
At first Mohammad-Galbert struggled to find including Boutique Majorelle inside the coveted
weavers willing to try new ideas, and genuine Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh; Le Jardin des Biehn,
women’s cooperatives, run by women, for women. an exquisite riad, restaurant and gift shop in Fez,
A meeting with a master brocade weaver led to and Tigmi Trading, a leading Moroccan product
introductions to weavers with whom she could retailer in Australia.
build mutually beneficial relationships.
Moving to Morocco meant Mohammad-Galbert
Today, her business is based on collaborating with began speaking Arabic fluently, which helped her to
weavers in Fez medina and the Middle Atlas develop deeper relationships with artisans and 4

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imbed herself in the culture of Morocco. The on vertical looms and also produce some Artisan nomadic, living in tents, and the carpets were used
Artisan Project ethos is to support and nurture Project blankets. One of Morocco’s oldest as bedding. Everything started changing with the
weavers, particularly women, and to change the cooperatives, 25 women work together, managing arrival of the French Protectorate in the 1900s
perception of Berbers, the once nomadic their own projects, time and finances. The rugs when rugs began being exported to Europe. The
indigenous people of Morocco, who have that are seen in the bazaars are not made by such rugs became a commodity, and the women too.
historically been weavers. Berber is a derogatory cooperatives, they are made by factories of The makers of these rugs were invisible, mostly
term, Mohammad-Galbert explains. It means women weaving for a producer, who in turn sells going unmentioned in books on the subject.
barbarian in Arabic. Their true name is Amazigh, the rugs to the bazaar merchant. The women are
which means ‘free humans’ or ‘free men’. making around $3 a day. They know they are not Now Mohammad-Galbert is often on the road,
being paid fairly, but they are glad to be able buy sourcing goods for other companies as well as
Two hours outside Fez the landscape is golden food and school supplies for their children today. overseeing her own designs, but still it is her
with wheat and wild flowers. The women’s Traditionally women were weaving rugs for their emotional connection to textiles that gives each
weaving cooperative of Ain Leuh in Ifrane Province own homes, before they became such a popular Artisan Project piece a visceral quality all of its
make hand-knotted rugs for Mohammad-Galbert product. Amazigh women especially, as they were own. ¥¥¥ Isobel Diamond

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