A stripe. That’s what you see first. Lines, more or less thin, placed randomly on the white surface of a duvet cover or pillowcase. From a distance, understated, almost minimal. Then you move closer: the lines are embroidered. And looking really closely, it’s the work of a master craftsman. This is randa, an ancestral Moroccan sewing technique transposed onto home linens in the ASMARA collection by V.Barkowski.
Randa: a stitch whose primary function is to assemble
Randa has been present in Morocco for several centuries. Its exact origins remain disputed – some see it as a Berber technique, others as an influence introduced over the course of the great dynasties that shaped Moroccan craftsmanship. What is certain: randa is part of the country’s textile heritage, passed down from generation to generation, inseparable from ceremonial garments.
Originally, randa is more than decorative embroidery. It is an assembly technique: it serves to join two pieces of fabric. Each panel to be assembled must first be hemmed. Randa connects the two fabrics stitch by stitch, by needle, by hand. The visible line on the garment is the trace of this assembly: functional, precise, so beautiful that one would never want to hide it.
On djellabas and caftans, the hems were all made by hand. Randa ran along the visible seams, transforming a technical necessity into ornamentation. What holds the piece together can also elevate it – a logic found throughout Moroccan textile craftsmanship.
Always the same source. The traditional garment examined closely, each gesture deconstructed then reconstructed for another purpose.
@ Tania Panova
What the construction reveals
The ASMARA finish is, at first glance, simple. You see lines. Then, moving closer, they are embroidered. And looking even more closely, it’s even more subtle. The lines made by needle vary from 1 to 5 depending on the thickness of each. They are juxtaposed randomly on the surface of the pillowcase or duvet cover. No repeated pattern, no imposed symmetry. Each piece differs from the next.
The constructive logic of randa is evident in the numbers. A pillowcase with 5 stripes means 6 panels and 10 hems for the front face alone. The cutting work itself is considerable – one does not embroider on a continuous surface. Each panel is cut, hem sewn, then assembled by randa. In total: between 10 and 15 meters of embroidery per pillowcase. It is the most sophisticated finish in the V.Barkowski collections.
The lines vary according to the thickness of each. This is also what makes each piece unique – the gesture is the same, the result never quite is.
A fragile craft
This technique, Valérie Barkowski has only seen in Morocco. It continues to exist, but it is a fragile craft. Bespoke tailoring of djellabas and caftans has been declining since the mass arrival of ready-to-wear. What was once an ordinary privilege – choosing one’s fabric, thread color, having one’s garment made specially – is now declining.
This decline reduces the number of artisans who practice Moroccan randa embroidery on a daily basis. The craft is transmitted less. This explains why each ASMARA piece takes the time it takes, and that time cannot be compressed.
@ Tania Panova
ASMARA: randa transposed onto linens
In the ASMARA collection, randa retains its primary function: assembling fabric panels. What changes is the intention. Remnants can be used, panels chosen for what they are – it’s another interpretation of patchwork, but by needle, stitch by stitch. The randa line visible on the embroidered duvet cover or pillowcase is the trace of this assembly. A line that was necessary has become a motif.
The collection exists in bed linens: duvet covers and pillowcases in white mercerized combed cotton, in a palette of 12 finish colors: amber, beige, blue-gray, brick, carmine, gray, khaki, brown, black, peacock, plum, pink. Other colors are available upon request. Dimensions, bedding formats, finish colors: everything is adjustable. Each piece is made to order in the V.Barkowski workshop in Marrakech. Lead time: 2 to 4 weeks. For bespoke orders: sales@valeriebarkowski.com.
The ASMARA finish is also available as a bedspread, in cotton poplin like the sheets, or in a thicker, more raw cotton, ecru or bleached. All variations in sizes and colors are possible. Contact: sales@valeriebarkowski.com.
@ Tania Panova
A finish that demands to be seen up close
The ASMARA collection reveals itself. This is precisely what gives it its place in the V.Barkowski collection: surface discretion, depth of gesture. Randa on home linens is a Moroccan craft taken from its original context, transposed with precision onto bed linens, and designed to last.
A riad opening. A boutique hotel being renovated. An interior architect looking for an atelier capable of producing bespoke hotel linens, with genuine standards for materials and finishing. In Marrakech, the V.Barkowski atelier has worked this way for nearly thirty years. Demanding projects, often discreet, built around the same principles: precision, lasting quality, and attention …
What is Passementerie? Passementerie refers to a collection of refined textile finishes: fringes, braids, pompoms, twists, or tassels. Behind this apparent simplicity lies an ancient, subtle, and demanding language of thread. Inheriting centuries-old traditions, it is characterized by meticulous work, often manual, where each element is shaped from woven, twisted, embroidered, or knotted threads. This …
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, …
Randa on home linens: the ASMARA finish
Randa on home linens: the ASMARA finish
A stripe. That’s what you see first. Lines, more or less thin, placed randomly on the white surface of a duvet cover or pillowcase. From a distance, understated, almost minimal. Then you move closer: the lines are embroidered. And looking really closely, it’s the work of a master craftsman. This is randa, an ancestral Moroccan sewing technique transposed onto home linens in the ASMARA collection by V.Barkowski.
Randa: a stitch whose primary function is to assemble
Randa has been present in Morocco for several centuries. Its exact origins remain disputed – some see it as a Berber technique, others as an influence introduced over the course of the great dynasties that shaped Moroccan craftsmanship. What is certain: randa is part of the country’s textile heritage, passed down from generation to generation, inseparable from ceremonial garments.
Originally, randa is more than decorative embroidery. It is an assembly technique: it serves to join two pieces of fabric. Each panel to be assembled must first be hemmed. Randa connects the two fabrics stitch by stitch, by needle, by hand. The visible line on the garment is the trace of this assembly: functional, precise, so beautiful that one would never want to hide it.
On djellabas and caftans, the hems were all made by hand. Randa ran along the visible seams, transforming a technical necessity into ornamentation. What holds the piece together can also elevate it – a logic found throughout Moroccan textile craftsmanship.
Always the same source. The traditional garment examined closely, each gesture deconstructed then reconstructed for another purpose.
What the construction reveals
The ASMARA finish is, at first glance, simple. You see lines. Then, moving closer, they are embroidered. And looking even more closely, it’s even more subtle. The lines made by needle vary from 1 to 5 depending on the thickness of each. They are juxtaposed randomly on the surface of the pillowcase or duvet cover. No repeated pattern, no imposed symmetry. Each piece differs from the next.
The constructive logic of randa is evident in the numbers. A pillowcase with 5 stripes means 6 panels and 10 hems for the front face alone. The cutting work itself is considerable – one does not embroider on a continuous surface. Each panel is cut, hem sewn, then assembled by randa. In total: between 10 and 15 meters of embroidery per pillowcase. It is the most sophisticated finish in the V.Barkowski collections.
The lines vary according to the thickness of each. This is also what makes each piece unique – the gesture is the same, the result never quite is.
A fragile craft
This technique, Valérie Barkowski has only seen in Morocco. It continues to exist, but it is a fragile craft. Bespoke tailoring of djellabas and caftans has been declining since the mass arrival of ready-to-wear. What was once an ordinary privilege – choosing one’s fabric, thread color, having one’s garment made specially – is now declining.
This decline reduces the number of artisans who practice Moroccan randa embroidery on a daily basis. The craft is transmitted less. This explains why each ASMARA piece takes the time it takes, and that time cannot be compressed.
ASMARA: randa transposed onto linens
In the ASMARA collection, randa retains its primary function: assembling fabric panels. What changes is the intention. Remnants can be used, panels chosen for what they are – it’s another interpretation of patchwork, but by needle, stitch by stitch. The randa line visible on the embroidered duvet cover or pillowcase is the trace of this assembly. A line that was necessary has become a motif.
The collection exists in bed linens: duvet covers and pillowcases in white mercerized combed cotton, in a palette of 12 finish colors: amber, beige, blue-gray, brick, carmine, gray, khaki, brown, black, peacock, plum, pink. Other colors are available upon request. Dimensions, bedding formats, finish colors: everything is adjustable. Each piece is made to order in the V.Barkowski workshop in Marrakech. Lead time: 2 to 4 weeks. For bespoke orders: sales@valeriebarkowski.com.
The ASMARA finish is also available as a bedspread, in cotton poplin like the sheets, or in a thicker, more raw cotton, ecru or bleached. All variations in sizes and colors are possible. Contact: sales@valeriebarkowski.com.
A finish that demands to be seen up close
The ASMARA collection reveals itself. This is precisely what gives it its place in the V.Barkowski collection: surface discretion, depth of gesture. Randa on home linens is a Moroccan craft taken from its original context, transposed with precision onto bed linens, and designed to last.
→ Bespoke hotel linens
→ Bespoke orders: sales@valeriebarkowski.com
OMANA Bath Mat
OMANA Guest Towel
OMANA Hand Towel
OMANA Bath Sheet
€ 95,00OMANA Bath Towel
€ 120,00ASMARA Duvet Cover
€ 320,00 – € 700,00Price range: € 320,00 through € 700,00ASMARA Pillowcase – Set of 2
€ 350,00 – € 360,00Price range: € 350,00 through € 360,00NIL Placemat Set – 4 Pieces
€ 120,00Related Posts
Bespoke hotel linens: how the V.Barkowski atelier works
A riad opening. A boutique hotel being renovated. An interior architect looking for an atelier capable of producing bespoke hotel linens, with genuine standards for materials and finishing. In Marrakech, the V.Barkowski atelier has worked this way for nearly thirty years. Demanding projects, often discreet, built around the same principles: precision, lasting quality, and attention …
When Passementerie Becomes Contemporary Design
What is Passementerie? Passementerie refers to a collection of refined textile finishes: fringes, braids, pompoms, twists, or tassels. Behind this apparent simplicity lies an ancient, subtle, and demanding language of thread. Inheriting centuries-old traditions, it is characterized by meticulous work, often manual, where each element is shaped from woven, twisted, embroidered, or knotted threads. This …
The VB Workshop in Marrakech: Between Textile Creation and Living Craftsmanship
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, …