{"id":13633,"date":"2026-06-20T12:16:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T10:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/?p=13633"},"modified":"2026-06-19T17:11:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:11:17","slug":"handmade-tassel-bath-towel-the-original","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/handmade-tassel-bath-towel-the-original\/","title":{"rendered":"Handmade tassel bath towel: the original"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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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. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a9 Tania Panova<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Rif, the mendil, and Hadoum<\/b><\/h2>

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 Fran\u00e7oise 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. <\/span><\/p>

What did exist was the <\/span>mendil<\/b>, 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 <\/span>Moroccan textile craftsmanship<\/b>. Without yet knowing that a home linen brand was forming in my mind.<\/span><\/p>

Hadoum, the cook of the rented house, spent the winter with her friends making <\/span>“chichiates”<\/span><\/i>, 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 <\/span>handcrafted bath linen<\/b> with tassels. Neither she nor I realized, at that moment, what this encounter would trigger.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a9 Tania Panova<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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From the chichiatte to the handmade tassel bath towel<\/b><\/h2>

The idea came from the tasseled fabrics of the Rif. Transposing this expertise onto <\/span>handcrafted Moroccan bath linen<\/b>: a <\/span>handmade tassel bath towel<\/b>, 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.<\/span><\/p>

This model would become the hallmark of the V.Barkowski brand. The press quickly took notice. The <\/span>handmade tassel bath towels<\/b> 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.<\/span><\/p>

In 1996, there was not a single <\/span>“chichiatte”<\/span><\/i> in Marrakech, nor in Essaouira, nor in any city in southern Morocco. This <\/span>Moroccan textile craft<\/b> 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.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a9 Cylou de Bruyn<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Three years, one customer, a thread that holds firm<\/b><\/h2>

The complexity of the <\/span>Marrakech handmade tassel<\/b> 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 <\/span>handcrafted bath linen<\/b> according to the required standards. Training the artisans, refining every manufacturing detail, finding the right balance between density and suppleness.<\/span><\/p>

Exactly three years after that first season in the Rif, Fran\u00e7oise Dorget was contacted to become the first customer. The stakes were clear: if she did not take this <\/span>handmade tassel bath towel<\/b>, 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.<\/span><\/p>

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. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a9 Delphine Warin<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What success and copies have taught me<\/b><\/h2>

The visibility of the V.Barkowski <\/span>handmade tassel bath towel<\/b> 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.<\/span><\/p>

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. <\/span><\/p>

Customers, however, know how to tell the difference. Some come to the boutique with <\/span>handmade tassels<\/b> bought elsewhere, frayed after a few washes, to ask if it is possible to replace them. The answer is always yes.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Lamu Collection: the same expertise since 1997<\/b><\/h2>

The <\/span>V.Barkowski Lamu collection<\/b> is the collection that made the brand famous. Born from the Rif <\/span>mendil<\/b>, the tassels are made today in the Marrakech medina workshop with the same gestures, the same 700 g\/m\u00b2 combed cotton, and the same artisans, some of whom have been working with us for over twenty years.<\/span><\/p>

The Lamu <\/span>handmade tassel bath towel<\/b> 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.<\/span><\/p>

This is what the Marrakech boutique confirms every day for twenty-eight years: long-standing customers who return to express their attachment to this <\/span>handmade tassel bath towel<\/b>. Not just to a trend. The <\/span>Lamu collection<\/b> is proof that a well-designed object, born from true expertise, does not need to be reinvented to stand the test of time.<\/span><\/p>

\u2192 Discover the Lamu collection on the V.Barkowski e-shop<\/a><\/span><\/p>

\u2192 Ilan collection bed linen \u2014 V.Barkowski e-shop<\/a><\/span><\/p>

\u2192 Bespoke home linen \u2014 V.Barkowski Marrakech<\/a><\/span><\/p>

\u2192 Artisanal manufacturing of home linen in Morocco \u2014 V.Barkowski journal<\/a><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a9 Tania Panova<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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FAQ \u2014 Handmade tassel bath towel<\/b><\/h2>

Where does the V.Barkowski handmade tassel bath towel come from?<\/b><\/h3>

Elle est n\u00e9e en 1997, inspir\u00e9e du <\/span>mendil<\/b>, le tissu traditionnel ray\u00e9 des femmes du Rif marocain. La premi\u00e8re production a \u00e9t\u00e9 confi\u00e9e \u00e0 Hadoum, artisane du Rif, et \u00e0 ses amies qui confectionnent des <\/span>\u00ab chichiates \u00bb<\/span><\/i>, les pompons qui ornent ces tissus traditionnels. Les pompons <\/span>collection Lamu<\/b> sont fabriqu\u00e9s \u00e0 la main dans l’atelier V.Barkowski, m\u00e9dina de Marrakech, depuis 1997.<\/span><\/p>

What is the difference between a handmade tassel bath towel and an industrial model?<\/b><\/h3>

A <\/span>Marrakech handmade tassel<\/b> is dense, uniform, and designed to withstand years of washing at 40\u00b0C. 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.<\/span><\/p>

Is the tassel bath towel available in bespoke sizes?<\/b><\/h3>

Yes. For all <\/span>handmade tassel bath towels<\/b> in the <\/span>V.Barkowski Lamu collection<\/b>, 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.<\/span><\/p>

How do I care for a handmade tassel bath towel?<\/b><\/h3>

Machine wash at 40\u00b0C, delicate cycle. Air dry. Do not use bleach. The 700 g\/m\u00b2 combed cotton becomes softer with each wash: the opposite of an industrial towel whose short fibers collapse after a few cycles. <\/span><\/p>

Where can I buy the V.Barkowski Lamu collection?<\/b><\/h3>

In-store: 142 Arset Aouzel, Dar El Bacha, Marrakech medina, daily 10 AM\u20137 PM. <\/span>On the e-shop: valeriebarkowski.com. Bespoke orders: sales@valeriebarkowski.com.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[67],"tags":[444,442,443,344,313],"class_list":["post-13633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-savoir-faire","tag-linge-de-bain","tag-pompon-fait-main","tag-mendil-rif-marocain","tag-savoir-faire-artisanal","tag-artisanat-textile"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/serviette-de-bain-pompons-faits-main-vb-tania-panova-photo-banner.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13633"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13966,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13633\/revisions\/13966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}