TRASS Napkin – Set of 4

TRASS Napkin

The TRASS Napkin completes the brand’s table linen collection: a hand-embroidered running stitch tracing the perimeter of the piece, in small, regular lines of 3 to 5 mm.

The finish, explained for this piece

On the napkin, the Trass embroidery borders all four sides of the piece – the most compact format in the entire collection, yet the required precision remains the same as on larger pieces: each line must stay perfectly straight, regardless of the piece’s size.

Features & options

Material: 100% ecru (raw) cotton, also available bleached upon request

• Solid colours: Aubergine, Carmin, Water, Olive, Peacock, Plum
• Multicolour options: Aqua, Haroun, Fog, Crush
• Closure: not applicable
• Quantity sold: per 4
• Bespoke: dimensions, colour, specific project → sales@valeriebarkowski.com

Available dimension for the TRASS Napkin:

• TRASS Napkin 45 x 45 cm

Any other dimension can be made upon request – email us at sales@valeriebarkowski.com for any custom measurement.

Trass: the origin of the design

The name Trass comes from the tracing itself – a small, neat, and regular mark found throughout the collection. Its inspiration, however, travels far beyond Marrakech:

The birthplace of Kantha, Bengal – straddling India and Bangladesh – saw this tradition emerge over a thousand years ago: village women would layer old fabrics, often worn saris, assembling them with a running stitch before enriching them with motifs. This seemingly modest practice still requires an uncommon steadiness of hand today.

“I saw running stitch endlessly in southern India, where embroiderers practise Kantha: a quick embroidery, done freehand, with very little thread. It was this restraint that made me want to bring it to Marrakech.

But in transposing it, our artisans made it their own: they chose to work with more thread, and the line—now laid perfectly straight along the edge—demands a precision I hadn’t imagined at the outset.

What was meant to be a simple, quick technique became, in their hands, another finish—almost more demanding than the one that inspired it.

That’s what I love about a craft travelling from one country to another: it is never copied; it is reinvented.”

The TRASS napkin coordinates with the collection

The TRASS Napkin coordinates with the placemat and tablecloth from the same collection, for a fully matched table setting. It also pairs more broadly with all the brand’s collections, without restriction. As always, mixing pieces remains primarily a matter of personal taste.

Care

For the care of the TRASS Napkin, we invite you to consult our dedicated article on caring for artisanal linens, which details the recommended steps to preserve the cotton’s quality over time.

To go further

→ Internal link to article: “The Kantha stitch, an embroidery from India”

→ Read our article: “Caring for artisanal linens”