In 1997, the first handmade tassel bath towel left a workshop in Marrakech. It did not have a name yet. It featured tassels sewn one by one across the entire width of the ends, thick cotton, and a story that began a year earlier in the Rif. Today, this model exists all over the world in various forms. In hotel rooms. In showrooms in India. What does not exist everywhere is what preceded it: the original gesture, the woman who passed it on, and the chain of coincidences that triggered everything.
It was a house in northern Morocco that changed everything. A friend mentioned it, in the Rif. We went there, without internet, without knowing anything about the region. The owner’s name was Françoise Dorget. Four years later, she would become the brand’s first customer, with her boutique Caravane in Paris. In 1996, none of this existed yet.
What did exist was the mendil, a hand-woven striped fabric that the women of the Rif wear on their hips when working in the fields. Antique pieces to be sought from Tangier to Tetouan, via Chefchaouen, Ouezzane, and Ksar el Kebir. A passion was born for these expressions of northern Moroccan textile craftsmanship. Without yet knowing that a home linen brand was forming in my mind.
Hadoum, the cook of the rented house, spent the winter with her friends making “chichiates”, the name for tassels in the Rif. These small tassels decorate traditional fabrics, a way of dressing unique to the region. She would become the very first artisan entrusted with the first production of handcrafted bath linen with tassels. Neither she nor I realized, at that moment, what this encounter would trigger.
From the chichiatte to the handmade tassel bath towel
The idea came from the tasseled fabrics of the Rif. Transposing this expertise onto handcrafted Moroccan bath linen: a handmade tassel bath towel, bordered across the full width of both ends. Tassels sewn one by one, by hand, exactly as the artisans of the Rif have been making them for their fabrics for generations.
This model would become the hallmark of the V.Barkowski brand. The press quickly took notice. The handmade tassel bath towels traveled the world on glossy paper. The model was copied, adopted, and adapted by numerous brands worldwide, even in Indian showrooms, without its origin ever being mentioned.
In 1996, there was not a single “chichiatte” in Marrakech, nor in Essaouira, nor in any city in southern Morocco. This Moroccan textile craft had belonged to the Rif since the dawn of time. We trained 1, then 2, then 3, 4, 5, 10, 50, 100, 200 women and men to make these small tassels. After bath linen, the tassels moved to scarves, then table linen, then bed linen. Thousands of people have earned their living with this specific expertise throughout Morocco.
Three years, one customer, a thread that holds firm
The complexity of the Marrakech handmade tassel taught me patience. Three years to finalize the first collection. In Morocco in the 1990s, finding good cotton was a challenge: the cotton had to be imported, and it took time to find a company capable of manufacturing handcrafted bath linen according to the required standards. Training the artisans, refining every manufacturing detail, finding the right balance between density and suppleness.
Exactly three years after that first season in the Rif, Françoise Dorget was contacted to become the first customer. The stakes were clear: if she did not take this handmade tassel bath towel, no one in 2000 was, in my opinion, in a position to sell these products. Her world at Caravane was perfect for representing them. She took them.
The butterfly effect of simply choosing a house in the Rif rather than in Essaouira. It is dizzying when you think about it. Even today.
The visibility of the V.Barkowski handmade tassel bath towel had effects far beyond bath linen. Franchise offers, contract proposals of all kinds, requests to design houses in Marrakech. Above all, this notoriety gave the brand a foundation, introduced its entire universe and, concretely, strengthened the visibility of the boutiques. The tassels contributed significantly to this, even if the entire brand benefited.
The mistake was not registering the design. However, the copies allowed us to understand that something real had been created. When you are young and still seeking recognition, this validation is important.
Customers, however, know how to tell the difference. Some come to the boutique with handmade tassels bought elsewhere, frayed after a few washes, to ask if it is possible to replace them. The answer is always yes.
Lamu Collection: the same expertise since 1997
The V.Barkowski Lamu collection is the collection that made the brand famous. Born from the Rif mendil, the tassels are made today in the Marrakech medina workshop with the same gestures, the same 700 g/m² combed cotton, and the same artisans, some of whom have been working with us for over twenty years.
The Lamu handmade tassel bath towel has not changed since 1997. Because there was no reason to change it. Bordered across the full width of the ends, tassels sewn one by one: that is all. It is enough. It is what lasts.
This is what the Marrakech boutique confirms every day for twenty-eight years: long-standing customers who return to express their attachment to this handmade tassel bath towel. Not just to a trend. The Lamu collection is proof that a well-designed object, born from true expertise, does not need to be reinvented to stand the test of time.
Where does the V.Barkowski handmade tassel bath towel come from?
Elle est née en 1997, inspirée du mendil, le tissu traditionnel rayé des femmes du Rif marocain. La première production a été confiée à Hadoum, artisane du Rif, et à ses amies qui confectionnent des « chichiates », les pompons qui ornent ces tissus traditionnels. Les pompons collection Lamu sont fabriqués à la main dans l’atelier V.Barkowski, médina de Marrakech, depuis 1997.
What is the difference between a handmade tassel bath towel and an industrial model?
A Marrakech handmade tassel is dense, uniform, and designed to withstand years of washing at 40°C. It is sewn by hand, one by one, with fade-resistant thread. An industrial tassel reproduces the look without the technique: after a few washes, it frays. Customers who come to the boutique with imitation tassels to have them replaced regularly attest to this.
Is the tassel bath towel available in bespoke sizes?
Yes. For all handmade tassel bath towels in the V.Barkowski Lamu collection, the tassel color is customizable: by choosing a solid or multicolored shade from our ranges, or based on a Pantone reference or color sample. Contact: sales@valeriebarkowski.com. Lead time: 2 to 4 weeks.
How do I care for a handmade tassel bath towel?
Machine wash at 40°C, delicate cycle. Air dry. Do not use bleach. The 700 g/m² combed cotton becomes softer with each wash: the opposite of an industrial towel whose short fibers collapse after a few cycles.
Where can I buy the V.Barkowski Lamu collection?
In-store: 142 Arset Aouzel, Dar El Bacha, Marrakech medina, daily 10 AM–7 PM. On the e-shop: valeriebarkowski.com. Bespoke orders: sales@valeriebarkowski.com.
The VB Textile Workshop in Marrakech: More Than a Place, a Soul In the heart of Marrakech, tucked away from curious eyes, lies my textile workshop. It is a lively, vibrant, and deeply human place. Every fabric, every tassel, every embroidery is the result of meticulous work – a dialogue between materials, tradition, and creativity.Here, …
An Exceptional Material: Combed Cotton A Meticulously Selected Fiber Combed cotton, resulting from a rigorous selection process, is freed from its impurities, retaining only the longest and most uniform fibers. This ‘combing’ stage produces a smoother, more uniform, and particularly resilient fabric. Thanks to this method, the resulting textile boasts remarkable softness and impeccable durability …
Candle Holder / Spool Honestly, I don’t know how she managed without me. Always searching for accessories to “stage” her tables… but never the personal element, the one that catches the eye and truly defines a style. Everything was… correct. But nothing quite up to my standard. And then one morning at a flea market, …
Handmade tassel bath towel: the original
In 1997, the first handmade tassel bath towel left a workshop in Marrakech. It did not have a name yet. It featured tassels sewn one by one across the entire width of the ends, thick cotton, and a story that began a year earlier in the Rif.
Today, this model exists all over the world in various forms. In hotel rooms. In showrooms in India. What does not exist everywhere is what preceded it: the original gesture, the woman who passed it on, and the chain of coincidences that triggered everything.
The Rif, the mendil, and Hadoum
It was a house in northern Morocco that changed everything. A friend mentioned it, in the Rif. We went there, without internet, without knowing anything about the region. The owner’s name was Françoise Dorget. Four years later, she would become the brand’s first customer, with her boutique Caravane in Paris. In 1996, none of this existed yet.
What did exist was the mendil, a hand-woven striped fabric that the women of the Rif wear on their hips when working in the fields. Antique pieces to be sought from Tangier to Tetouan, via Chefchaouen, Ouezzane, and Ksar el Kebir. A passion was born for these expressions of northern Moroccan textile craftsmanship. Without yet knowing that a home linen brand was forming in my mind.
Hadoum, the cook of the rented house, spent the winter with her friends making “chichiates”, the name for tassels in the Rif. These small tassels decorate traditional fabrics, a way of dressing unique to the region. She would become the very first artisan entrusted with the first production of handcrafted bath linen with tassels. Neither she nor I realized, at that moment, what this encounter would trigger.
From the chichiatte to the handmade tassel bath towel
The idea came from the tasseled fabrics of the Rif. Transposing this expertise onto handcrafted Moroccan bath linen: a handmade tassel bath towel, bordered across the full width of both ends. Tassels sewn one by one, by hand, exactly as the artisans of the Rif have been making them for their fabrics for generations.
This model would become the hallmark of the V.Barkowski brand. The press quickly took notice. The handmade tassel bath towels traveled the world on glossy paper. The model was copied, adopted, and adapted by numerous brands worldwide, even in Indian showrooms, without its origin ever being mentioned.
In 1996, there was not a single “chichiatte” in Marrakech, nor in Essaouira, nor in any city in southern Morocco. This Moroccan textile craft had belonged to the Rif since the dawn of time. We trained 1, then 2, then 3, 4, 5, 10, 50, 100, 200 women and men to make these small tassels. After bath linen, the tassels moved to scarves, then table linen, then bed linen. Thousands of people have earned their living with this specific expertise throughout Morocco.
Three years, one customer, a thread that holds firm
The complexity of the Marrakech handmade tassel taught me patience. Three years to finalize the first collection. In Morocco in the 1990s, finding good cotton was a challenge: the cotton had to be imported, and it took time to find a company capable of manufacturing handcrafted bath linen according to the required standards. Training the artisans, refining every manufacturing detail, finding the right balance between density and suppleness.
Exactly three years after that first season in the Rif, Françoise Dorget was contacted to become the first customer. The stakes were clear: if she did not take this handmade tassel bath towel, no one in 2000 was, in my opinion, in a position to sell these products. Her world at Caravane was perfect for representing them. She took them.
The butterfly effect of simply choosing a house in the Rif rather than in Essaouira. It is dizzying when you think about it. Even today.
What success and copies have taught me
The visibility of the V.Barkowski handmade tassel bath towel had effects far beyond bath linen. Franchise offers, contract proposals of all kinds, requests to design houses in Marrakech. Above all, this notoriety gave the brand a foundation, introduced its entire universe and, concretely, strengthened the visibility of the boutiques. The tassels contributed significantly to this, even if the entire brand benefited.
The mistake was not registering the design. However, the copies allowed us to understand that something real had been created. When you are young and still seeking recognition, this validation is important.
Customers, however, know how to tell the difference. Some come to the boutique with handmade tassels bought elsewhere, frayed after a few washes, to ask if it is possible to replace them. The answer is always yes.
Lamu Collection: the same expertise since 1997
The V.Barkowski Lamu collection is the collection that made the brand famous. Born from the Rif mendil, the tassels are made today in the Marrakech medina workshop with the same gestures, the same 700 g/m² combed cotton, and the same artisans, some of whom have been working with us for over twenty years.
The Lamu handmade tassel bath towel has not changed since 1997. Because there was no reason to change it. Bordered across the full width of the ends, tassels sewn one by one: that is all. It is enough. It is what lasts.
This is what the Marrakech boutique confirms every day for twenty-eight years: long-standing customers who return to express their attachment to this handmade tassel bath towel. Not just to a trend. The Lamu collection is proof that a well-designed object, born from true expertise, does not need to be reinvented to stand the test of time.
→ Discover the Lamu collection on the V.Barkowski e-shop
→ Ilan collection bed linen — V.Barkowski e-shop
→ Bespoke home linen — V.Barkowski Marrakech
→ Artisanal manufacturing of home linen in Morocco — V.Barkowski journal
FAQ — Handmade tassel bath towel
Where does the V.Barkowski handmade tassel bath towel come from?
Elle est née en 1997, inspirée du mendil, le tissu traditionnel rayé des femmes du Rif marocain. La première production a été confiée à Hadoum, artisane du Rif, et à ses amies qui confectionnent des « chichiates », les pompons qui ornent ces tissus traditionnels. Les pompons collection Lamu sont fabriqués à la main dans l’atelier V.Barkowski, médina de Marrakech, depuis 1997.
What is the difference between a handmade tassel bath towel and an industrial model?
A Marrakech handmade tassel is dense, uniform, and designed to withstand years of washing at 40°C. It is sewn by hand, one by one, with fade-resistant thread. An industrial tassel reproduces the look without the technique: after a few washes, it frays. Customers who come to the boutique with imitation tassels to have them replaced regularly attest to this.
Is the tassel bath towel available in bespoke sizes?
Yes. For all handmade tassel bath towels in the V.Barkowski Lamu collection, the tassel color is customizable: by choosing a solid or multicolored shade from our ranges, or based on a Pantone reference or color sample. Contact: sales@valeriebarkowski.com. Lead time: 2 to 4 weeks.
How do I care for a handmade tassel bath towel?
Machine wash at 40°C, delicate cycle. Air dry. Do not use bleach. The 700 g/m² combed cotton becomes softer with each wash: the opposite of an industrial towel whose short fibers collapse after a few cycles.
Where can I buy the V.Barkowski Lamu collection?
In-store: 142 Arset Aouzel, Dar El Bacha, Marrakech medina, daily 10 AM–7 PM.
On the e-shop: valeriebarkowski.com. Bespoke orders: sales@valeriebarkowski.com.
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