Moroccan Berber Capes
Moroccan have, rightly, attracted a lot of design attention in recent years. Yet beautiful subtle and natural Berber flatweaves have had less of spotlight shone on them. Among these graceful old weavings are the technically complex pure wool pieces that women wove as capes and shawls for them and their family (sometimes called handira in Arabic and tabrdouhte or tamizarht in Tamazight)
With on strong focus on stripes, these robes were created to be wrapped around the body for warmth, comfort and decoration. They come from a deeply rural weaving tradition where everything for daily life was created from natural materials, like pure wool, raised and processed locally
This traditional Berber shawl, above, was hand woven by one of the many groups that made up the Ait Haddidou tribal peoples who lived (and still live) in central Morocco in the more remote regions of the Atlas Mountains. Made of very finely woven natural dyed wool, it was created using a special hand weaving technique that resulted in a typical yet hard to achieve ‘curved’ robe, that was easily wrapped around the wearer's body. Each piece of this type was woven to a certain body size, to fit the person for whom it was intended
These stripes are on the whole purely decorative, giving the weaver plenty of design flexibility and freedom. A lot of imagination and effort went into creating these individual and personal weavings and every piece was subtly different
In north eastern Morocco the peoples of the Beni Ouarain tribes wove large and thick cream and ivory knotted pile rugs. They also created exquisite and fine flatweaves as clothing for both men and women. Using the soft butter-hued and dark cream wool of the region, they combined it with cotton to weave gorgeous geometric designs in band after band of patterns through each piece. They left the loops of the weaving long and shaggy on the ‘back’, to act as cosy insulation once the shawl was put on
These capes and shawls represent a time when fashion was not fast, but it was fashion. Women crafted robes to be joyful and attractive things to wear. Yet as time has gone by, and synthetic and quickly produced and imported clothes have penetrated every community in Morocco, the need and the desire to produce lovely pure wool capes has fallen away
Vintage Berber capes may appear to have a simple aesthetic, however their construction required real skill and also a big investment of time. The wool used is very finely spun and the intricate stripes in many of these coverings were delicately created and the colours were artfully combined
We have found that Berber capes and shawls are beautifully collectable weavings: they speak to a time and place when craft was valued for its utility and its beauty. We believe their artistry and refinement is under-appreciated, and that these elegant tribal items can freely transition into a modern interior
