Mushmina's Team of Artisans in Morocco
We are passionately committed to employing and empowering extraordinary artisans in Morocco and beyond into our mindful global vision. We currently proudly collaborate with more than 150 expert artisans in five different regions of Morocco; many of which are difficult to access due to their rural settings. Countless numbers of these female artisans work faithfully from home as part of Morocco's successful 'cottage industry'. This phenomenon allows mothers and wives to work on new collections on their own time; often in between household duties and raising children. It's a win-win for the Moroccan economy and the family in particular. Many other female artisans are part of Morocco's unique network of craft cooperatives. While we primarily employ women, we also collaborate with amazing male 'mallums' mastercraftsmen....metalsmiths who produce our stunning Mushmina custom jewelry, weavers who work on our signature woven cotton scarves, and our loyal team of skilled leatherworkers who do our quality finishing work. Mushmina is who we are because of the solid, sustainable relationships we have with our artisans.
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Central Morocco Artisans
We are so proud of these incredible women luminaries. Kenza manages a group of women in central Morocco who specialize in delicate embroidery, hand-stitching, and beautiful finishing. She is also the brainchild of our funky Mushmina Floret Slides. These fabulously comfy shoes were Kenza's fabulous idea as a way to re-purpose our fabric scraps from our signature Mushmina Hobo Handbags. Innovativeness with heart.
Khadija is new to the Mushmina team; she is a mother and a dynamic teacher of sewing at the local training center of rural Khouribga, central Morocco. Khadija has a faithful network of young, enthusiastic graduates from the center where she works as part of her skilled team, producing intricately embroidered and stitched clothing with the quintessential amount of Moroccan flair.
Halima, who is based in lovely Boujad, Morocco, manages the intricate production of Mushmina's custom weaving of striking rugs, pillowcases, and handbags. Halima is a force of warmth and professionalism and we would not be Mushmina without her! Fortunately for us, she has been with the Mushmina team from the start when Heather was a Peace Corps Volunteer 15 years ago in Boujad. They have been loyal colleagues and close friends ever since. Halima is truly our go-to for anything woven-we love her courageous, playful spirit, her strong work ethic and and most of all, her kind heart. She represents all the good of being a Mushmina artisan. Read more about Halima on the Mushmina blog,
Through the Eyes of a Weaver.
High Atlas
Khenifra Women's Cooperative
This group of 20 boldly ingenious women went from being button-makers to businesswomen! Guided, mentored, and encouraged by the Mushmina Sisters for almost 10 years, the Khenifa ladies co-op is a phenomenal success story of hard work, perseverance, and creativity.
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Middle Atlas
The Eve Branson Foundation
The Berbers of the rural Atlas Mountains of Morocco have a deep-rooted sense of community, family, and traditions that endure through their rich history. The Eve Branson Foundation’s ethos is to work hand-in-hand with these unique hamlets in order help them thrive. Preserving Berber traditions and culture and in addition, developing opportunities for educational enrichment and sustainable enterprise are the Foundation's main focuses. Lastly, this unique organization concentrates on empowerment and skills-building of local Moroccan women and girls.
Since its beginnings, the Foundation has been dedicated to enhancing living standards in some of the most impoverished rural communities in the Atlas Mountain region of Morocco. Very often, villages here lack even the most basic amenities and illiteracy can be as high as 98%. On average, girls in these areas leave school at age 13. The courageous mission of the Eve Branson Foundation is to improve the lives of young people living in the region through innovative access to business, education and healthcare initiatives. Mushmina is so grateful to collaborate with the lovely women artisans in two of EBF's craft houses who carefully produce pieces for our clothing collection.
Read the story of brave founder, Eve Branson, as well as Mushmina's wonderful collaboration with the talented artisans of EBF. The Learning Place, Threads of Empowering Dreams.
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Mushmina's Metalsmiths
Ahmed and Cherif. Our immensely talented metalsmiths have been with Mushmina since our founding in 2009. They are proudly part of our Mushmina family! Ahmed, based in rural Tiznit, southern Morocco, is a master 'mallum' or metal artisan. We have seen him grow from a cramped, single rooftop studio in his home to a full production workshop with employees, customers, and even students. Ahmed and Katie collaborate together on our gorgeous signature Mushmina jewelry collection; with strong traces of Berber and Tuareg influences in their rustic, mixed metals of gorgeous brass and silver. Read more about master metalsmith Ahmed here in our artisan profile.
Cherif's tiny workspace is located in the heart of the labyrinth-like alleyways of the 'medina', or ancient walled city of Meknes, north-central Morocco. Cherif has been a loyal member of the Mushmina family for many years and we love his calm, warm spirit and his exquisitely creative metalwork. Specializing in delicate silver strands layered onto gorgeous steel jewelry, you can read more about Cherif's fascinating story here, Silver Strands.
Leatherworkers
Led by master 'mallum', Khalifi, our loyal team of handbag makers, based in the famous city of Casablanca. This innovative group has impressive quality that surpasses the highest standards in the industry. You will not find anything else that compares to this level of superior quality here in Morocco.
Led by Musa in Marrakech, our clever team of independent leatherworkers is perfectly skilled at intricate, detailed embossing, stamping, leather wrapping, and creating the most amazing one-of-a-kind custom pieces for Mushmina. In a country where leather is everywhere, our gorgeous leather bags stand alone.
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Custom Textiles
Did you know that Mushmina's textiles are hand-drawn and custom designed? Katie, Mushmina's Creative Director, spends days working closely with textile experts Mehdi and Mostafa to produce our fabulous and durable textiles. Once used primarily for Moroccan upholstery, Katie had other plans for these colorful and plush fabrics when she and Heather started Mushmina almost 10 years ago. Woven on intricate jacquard looms in a small mill outside of Casablanca, the Mushmina Creative Team whimsically plays with shape and color to bring you fresh new patterns each season. Read more about how we innovatively turn upholstery textiles into gorgeous handbags,
The Evolution of the Mushmina Hobo.
