India is captivating.Everyone projects something onto it. Designers from all over the world arrive with open hands, ready to draw inspiration. Its colors, its embroideries, its ancient textiles – all of this has always nourished the collections of Western houses. India is a source. Generous, inexhaustible, sometimes unappreciated. I arrive there. And I look elsewhere. …
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No-Mad 97% India: Building a Brand by Looking Elsewhere
Artisanal textile creation in India: a creation archive
In 2009, I was commissioned to create a Bandit Queen home linen brand from A to Z.I oversaw the entire artistic direction, with complete freedom from the outset.In this context, bath linens were an integral part of the project. A specific moment At that time, I had just sold my own fashion brand under difficult …
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What the word “luxury” means to me today
We live as we work. For me, the two have always been the same thing. I understand true luxury through what I do, what I choose, and what I refuse. Thirty years of high-end textile creation between Marrakech, India, and Egypt have taught me one thing: the greatest sophistication is the kind you cannot see. …
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Monochrome. One idea, fifteen boutiques, twenty-five years.
It all began with a constraint. Saint-Barth, 2001. Four Belgians living on the island wanted to open a boutique. Forty-four square meters. Highly colorful collections, multiple materials, a dense universe. How to make all of this exist in such a limited space? The idea: a conversation, an image The answer came from a conversation over …
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Artisanal Manufacturing of Home Linens in Morocco
The handmade home linen involves a specific production method, a work organization, and a tangible economy. It connects daily use with precise gestures, performed in real contexts. In Morocco, this choice provides access to work for women who work from home, through sewing, embroidery, and textile finishing. The Work Before the Object Each piece resulting …
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Bandit Queen. A brand entirely conceived by Valérie Barkowski.
In 2008, India was at a pivotal moment.The country possessed exceptional, vibrant, and diverse artisanal craftsmanship. But this heritage had not yet engaged with a refined contemporary aesthetic, a form of contemporary textile design that few brands were then exploring. Families seeking understated, precise, meticulously crafted home linens continued to source their items in London, …
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Mia Zia: Handcrafted Fashion in Morocco, a 10-Year Adventure (1997-2007)
The Birth of a Project: When Art Meets Handcrafted Fashion In 1997, Valérie Barkowski founded Mia Zia in Marrakech. The idea originated from a practical need: to finance the Sahart Foundation, an artistic project she established after settling in the red city. Initially, she intended to open an art gallery. Mia Zia became a fortunate …
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What is ethical design today?
Creating less, but better: a responsible design philosophy Behind the word “ethical design”, a conscious commitment For Valérie Barkowski, ethical design is a founding value. It’s a way of creating with a clear conscience, of proposing responsible design, far removed from an industry often disconnected from its environmental and social impact. Ethical design favors sobriety: …
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