BOUTIQUE BLISS:MARRAKECH’S SHOPPING GEMS
Welcome to Marrakech, a vibrant city in Morocco where tradition and modernity collide in a mesmerizing blend. As you wander through the bustling streets and soak in the rich culture, one thing becomes abundantly clear – Marrakech is a paradise for shopaholics. In this article, we will take you on a journey through the winding alleys and hidden corners to explore the city's best-kept secrets: the boutique gems of Marrakech. From exquisite craftsmanship to contemporary designs, these boutiques offer a treasure trove of unique fashion, accessories, and homeware.
THE MEDINA
Valerie Barkowski
(Linens and homegoods)
By appointment: +212624494001
#142 Arset Aouzai Road, Marrakech 40000
Belgian designer and creative director Valérie Barkowski spent decades as the visionary behind a slew of international brands before opening a medina guesthouse where she honed her Restoration Hardware meets Marrakech aesthetic. Save room in your luggage for sumptuous tasseled bath towels and a hand- embroidered duvet cover. Let them ship her smile inducing ceramics to you.
Norya Ayron
(the Queen of Kaftans)
32 Souk El Jeld Abelaziz. Le Jardin Restaurant, Medina
+212 6 61 29 59 90
Many consider this the best kaftan shopping in Marrakech, with vintage kaftans as well as new pieces based on vintage textiles. Norya also has a shop in Gueliz @ 17, Tarik Bnou Ziad Street
El Fenn Boutique
(Ulta edited Treasures)
Inside El Fenn, the perennially stylish, art filled riad co-owned by Vanessa Branson, this thoughtfully curated boutique blends seamlessly into the hotel bar. Everything is for sale. Also on offer: an eclectic collection of home accessories, vintage dresses, linens, pottery, coffee table books, hand woven blankets, and more.
Akbar Delights
(Contemporary kaftans)
45 Place Bab Fteuh, Medina
+212 5 71 66 13 07
From French fashion maven Isabelle Duchet-Annez , this Pandora’s box abounds with contemporary Moroccan frocks embellished with rich floral embroidery or cut from fine geometric patterned silk. Add to that earthy ceramic homewares and seashell adorned throw pillows for an all over desert redo to anyone’s urban jungle.
Topolina
(Funky fabrics & exquisite silhouettes)
134 Dar El Bacha
+212 6 79 72 60 26
Trained in her native Normandy as a couture patternmaker, Isabelle Topolina moved to Marrakech ten years ago, bringing with her an eye for flattering feminine silhouettes. Expect meticulously tailored A-line coats, relaxed peasant blouses and easy to wear dresses she sews up in a dizzying array of printed silk, cotton and viscose fabrics that she sources in the local souks. Topolina’s equally talented son Pierre-Henry oversees the decidedly dandy men’s collection that ranges from silken trousers emblazoned with designs lifted from Mad Men era bow-ties and pajamas to tropical floral Bermuda shorts, looks both mother and son insist should be finished with leopard or Chinoiserie-print loafers.
Majorelle
Maroc&Roll
After two years spent exploring South America and Asia, then living in Madagascar, french designer Robert Merloz, returned to Morocco for its unparalleled local talent. Inside this veritable comeback kid of a boutique, an in-house seamstress is hard at work embroidering Berber motifs onto velvet evening bags. She hails from Tazert, the desert village five hours drive from Marrakech where Merloz partners with a women’s cooperative, employing around 60 artisans to carry out much of the intricate craftsmanship that also finishes his diaphanous silken tunics dappled with rose-petal appliqué and Berber silver chokers which Merloz has then finish with vintage European beads and fanciful neon hued tassels.
33 Majorelle
Marrakech’s first concept store, highlights the original creations of Moroccan and international designers and artists producing in Morocco, everything from crochet hammam scrubbers to hand beaded couture gowns, with the intention to raise the profile of contemporary Islamic designers in global fashion circles.
Nourredine Amir
This designer’s sculptural dresses so captivated former YSL Chairman Pierre Bergé that he gave the Rabat born Amir a solo exhibition at the Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent, the first for any fashion designer. Fashion aficionados will appreciate a visit to in his African art filled colonial villa surrounded by palm fronds. What his Moroccan and international following do appreciate, is the precision and sophistication he achieves without losing artistic integrity. Such craftsmanship is still possible here, Amir exalts, pointing to three of his artisans meticulously wrapping fabric on the concrete floor. “Clothing made by hand,” he says while pulling out fantastical frocks formed of silk molded into swirls, overlaid tufts of organza and coiled cotton cones. “It just seems more organic, more alive.”
Gueliz
Fadila el Gadi
10 Rue Sourya
+212 5 24 44 92 33
Here you will find beautiful kaftan-inspired coats, sheer silk kaftan cover-ups, billowing printed blouses and one-of-a-kind leather bags.
Lalla
35 Mohammed V Avenue
+212 5 24 44 72 23
This airy, light filled boutique on a gritty lane off Gueliz’s main drag, beckons with a veritable rainbow of sky blue, saffron yellow and currant red leather saddlebags finished in fringe, weekend bags fashioned from vintage Moroccan kaftans and kitschy Senegalese textiles sewn up as beach totes. “I am continually amazed by how clever people are here about rearranging and customizing even the most mundane things,” observes the French owner, pointing to a clutch made from textile cut from inexpensive industrial carpeting. A closer look reveals electric hued threads woven in. “Some Moroccan weaver thought ‘Why not hot pink?’ Everyone here thinks like an artisan.”
Art/C
+212 5 24 43 01 24
(located in the arcade next to +61 restaurant, call for directions)
Artsi Ifrach, a designer of Moroccan parentage raised in Israel designs one-of-a-kind dresses, skirts, jackets and coats made with repurposed vintage fabrics that also sell at Dover Street Market in Japan yet are “100% Moroccan,” he says proudly. “If you admire my work, that is respect for Morocco.” Tulle dresses emblazoned with kaleidoscopic evil eyes and bunches of balloons may not obviously promote cultural preservation yet the tattooed designer acutely feels a responsibility for the fast disappearing heritage once vibrant in the Marrakech souks. Ifrach works only with Moroccans including the Berber women who finish each ARTC piece with embroidery adapted from techniques practiced by their mothers and grandmothers. Yet he actively encourages them to be creative. “Our work,” he shares, “is about taking the past and making it relevant. What does not evolve becomes a souvenir and I am not in the knickknack business.”
Credits to: Our local Partner Maana Travel