Welcoming Morocco - Our SS24 Collection

An important part of life, in my view, is enjoying the opportunity to travel, see new places and live new experiences with friends and family. And so it was when our family went to Morocco in 2022. Our first trip abroad after the unpleasant Covid period. 
 
Travelling from England to Morocco is an easy hop of just over 3 hours with only an hour’s time difference. But don’t be fooled by these trivial numbers because it truly is a world away in terms of climate and culture! 
 
Morocco is part of North Africa, sits on the Mediterranean Sea and has a rich history culminating in independence since 1956. But enough of the facts…what’s it like and why did we use it as our inspiration for our latest collection. 
 
We went in April, a traditionally muggy, damp period in the UK – yes, much like the other eleven months of the year here! And the first thing that struck us was the temperature. It’s hot. Almost as you’d expect given the fact it is part of Africa. But in April it was pleasantly hot, not stiflingly hot. 
 
So how did the trip inspire the new collection?  
 
Well, I suppose the first thing that was striking about the country was the people – lots of smiles, warmth and friendliness. As a feel-good living brand, this was something we could enjoy and relate to.  
 
The other major noticeable ‘warmth’, beyond the weather, was the rich, red, rust colour base of the architecture in Marrakech and out in the mountains. Against this background, the bold, vibrant colours used in buildings and landscape really popped. So, we wanted to take this sense of warmth, welcome and vibrancy and imbue it in our designs. 

We had great fun creating an intricate cityscape design with detailed nods to the wonderful Marrakech. The design features across all our collections in fabrics like Maui 60 (Resort) and Ledbury 70 (Sleep/Lounge) and features a world of beautiful buildings, private gardens, ponds, plants and, of course, our house cat, Spartacus, strategically lazing around the city. 

The Jardin Majorelle is a must visit place of beauty in Marrakech. A special, vibrant and bold collections of blues, yellows and greens combine to make this location inspiring, energetic and fun. 

Like much of the area, this and other buildings featured the most wonderful tiles and mosaics.

Marrakech is famous for the square called Jemaa el-Fnaa, a busy, bustling, noisy collection of winding alleys filled with all sorts of traders. It is an almost overwhelming sensory experience to wander through this market. The range of goods being sold inspired our Ledbury 71 and Brindisi 100 (Sleep/Lounge) designs featuring the trinkets, jars, jugs and animals on show.