MOVERS & SHAKERS: SOUKIE MODERN
INTRODUCING TAIB LOTFI OF SOUKIE MODERN
Heading out to Palm Springs, a must-see home goods shop is Soukie Modern. An oasis of Moroccan color and texture, it’s one of my favorite places to shop for clients. Popping by, you are very likely to meet the owner and co-founder Taib Lotfi.
Taib Lotfi was born and raised in the Adar village in Morocco. He is of Berber descent from the Idaounidif Tribe.
A self-proclaimed “rug addict,” he collaborates on rug design with weavers in rural Moroccan villages. His passion for vintage and rare Moroccan textiles, weaving, design and culture garnered Pot of Rugs an expansive international following. It was through the popularity of Pot of Rug’s social media that Soukie Modern was born.
I had the privilege to spend time with Taib and hear more about his rug addiction. His vast knowledge of Morocco and textiles was inspiring and I’m excited to share more in this interview.
Where did your love for textiles and weaving begin?
I have been drawn to textiles since day one. The first time I watched someone weaving in my village.
Where I am from, in a rural village in Morocco, At the beginning of summer we harvest grains, and each household works together collectively to work together on it. When The harvest ends, we have a small time of rest, and then there is a season where you have space for activity with textiles. You clean all of the clothes in the river, you clean all of the wool you have shaven from your sheep in the river and then weaving starts.
Families coordinate weaving as it is a collaborative process. Each family each family would decided on what they need but the weavers are usually talented young ladies that are friends and close to each other and use this time to be creative and social and they would have older women in the village to help answer their questions or guide them through the process. The oldest women in the tribe hep to work on the wool or clean it because it is the slowest part and takes the most patience. It is a joyful process with singing and story telling.
It is as simple method but yet it has many steps and parts.
I witnessed it growing up the village, but men are not as big of a part of it back home. Once I moved to California, and opened my rug shop here, Soukie Modern, I took up weaving as a way to stay connected to my culture and family and the craft of textile making. It helps clear my mind and helps me to stay creative.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I find inspiration in nature mostly a place I dream of or I have never been. That helps me to select colors and patterns. I find inspiration in the materials I source as many are up-cycled and all of them are sustainable and organic. While weaving I listen to Berber music which have a great place in my heart for the poetic and deep the meaning of the words that come out of it. It pushes me to do something to preserve berber heritage. Sometimes, when a piece is commissioned, the client has a bit of thought on what colors or design elements they like and then the piece has a bit more of a collaborative feel.
What are two things weaving has taught you, that you carry throughout your life?
Patience and resistance.
It is a lot more simple than what people think weaving is, but can be repetitive and takes time, so there is a lot of dedication. However, the intricate style I've created by mixing different techniques in pieces makes it a bit more complex. There is a lot going on on my pieces and when I integrate such chunky knots into the strings of warp I end up putting myself in situations where I learned how to be patient and slow down to pay attention to the process. Resist the temptation to skip through a harder step and pass through that challenge. A lot can get tangled when you are weaving!
What’s something you’d like to change about the textile industry?
When I look at how much waste is produced by the textile industry, I am hopeful that those who come into my shop or see my work will be reminded of the importance to buy from the source, shop sustainable products, and not to buy cheap knock offs by large corporate companies that steal the designs of indigenous cultures. They water it down and make it out of wasteful plastics. When you meet a maker, you understand the value in quality textiles and authentic processes.
I think the one thing I try most to encourage is for people to stop buying products that are synthetic. To force those companies to use organic materials that are not harmful to this planet and also keep the practice of up-cycling and repurpose and give credit and support to the communities designs come from.
If there is one thing I could ever change specifically about weaving in Morocco it would be for us to do a better job educating the young generation and encourage them to sustain Berber heritage and focus more on sustainable woven art created from discarded textiles items that have lived and seen love, fights, joy and sorrow.
What is your goal behind each rug or textile you make?
When I create textiles or rugs I tend to consider the life of it. I want to make it durable and forever lasting and tells the story of me and stay true to that. Utilizing the the old methods which makes pieces appear to look unique in a way that also highlights techniques that were invented by the berber tribes women that lived before me.
You wake up tomorrow, nothing is standing in your way - what would you be doing?
I always go back to my roots. They are the most pure example of a simple life. I'd be working and building with my hands. Making things that are beautiful and useful surrounded by the family I have, and the family I hope to one day create.
SHOP SOUKIE MODERN:
FOLLOW SOUKIE MODERN ON INSTAGRAM:
VISIT SOUKIE MODERN:
SOUKIE MODERN - PALM SPRINGS SHOWROOM
The Shops at Thirteen Forty Five
1345 N. Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
Hours: Friday - Monday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
