Rug maker
Beni Rugs
Of course, the independent, contemporary design of Beni Rugs appealed to us first and foremost. But during our tour of the studio in Tameslouht, it was above all the way the rugs are made, the way the people work together and the vision behind the brand's extraordinary rugs that convinced us and left a lasting impression.
"After all, buying a carpet is an important decision and needs to be carefully considered – after all, it is a significant interior piece that fundamentally determines the effect and homeliness of the room in which it is placed." begins Office Manager Cristina with a charming smile, and then adds: "That's why it's so important for us to be able to show our visitors and guests where their Beni comes from and what process it goes through." And so we start our tour without any hurry in the office of the Beni Studio with a glass of water and a good cup of coffee.
When Tiberio Lobo-Navia and Robert Wright founded Beni Rugs in 2018, they were not only committed to preserving and celebrating traditional weaving craftsmanship, but also to exploring its intersection with contemporary design. The combination of tradition and modernity, as well as the awareness of the power and impact of a rug, should be visible and tangible in every Beni. When selecting and collaborating with designers, the focus is always on what design perspective they can contribute to the traditional Berber craft and what visions create challenging areas of tension. In doing so, it is also the innate curiosity and fascination of the two founders to constantly devote themselves to new aspects and to take views on how these can not only be implemented with the art of weaving but also interpreted differently. Thus, since 2018, new collections have been created again and again, whose patterns, colours and designs combine the old with the new.
"Whatever design you come up with, Beni will try to make it happen." Cristina proudly proclaims, showing us a number of wool pompoms in possible colours, which customers can put together individually once they have chosen their design. Customers can also decide whether the carpet should have fringes or not and how high or low the pile should be. Because not only the design but also the fluffiness of a Beni determine the harmonious living and well-being feeling in a room. Of course, it is also possible to create your own designs. For example, customers can send Beni Rugs their own designs, which are checked with the weavers for feasibility and then implemented in close consultation with the customer.
Weaving
"Investing in a Beni carpet is also investing in the future of our employees," Cristina tells us with great joy, pointing to one of the looms where three young ladies are busily working on a large-format commissioned piece. "We want to offer our weavers a safe and clean workplace and a secure future in their own country. For example, we have organised the transfer from their home to work and back again. Some of our weavers live outside Tameslouht and would have to travel long distances. Therefore, we see it as our duty to ensure the safety of our employees.
Furthermore, our studio is flooded with light and clean. Advantages that play an important role in the creation of a Beni Rug, for example, when it comes to avoiding impurities in the wool or the straightness of a carpet.
But the education of our weavers is also important to us: so we make sure that they attend school regularly and that their performance in school lessons is not neglected. (Side note: In Morocco, one is officially allowed to work from the age of sixteen. Beni Rugs currently employs a school-age weaver who, at seventeen, can build a career for herself by working in the studio.)
We also especially appreciate our uber-talented Maâlemma (female expert) who instructs our girls and women with a strict hand, checking every design for feasibility.
And since we are very attached to our talented weavers and are keen to retain them, we have recently increased their pay once again so that they now earn above average and share in the profits of a Beni Rug. This is important to us."
Eyes shining, Cristina then tells us about some 'out-of-the-box' activities in the studio that further motivate and inspire the weavers. For one, there's Couscous Friday, when the whole team eats lunch together. Then there is the wool installation by artist Amine El Gotaibi, whose bundled, wool-white threads snake over the studio's looms and show the workers the versatility of their daily work material. And let's not forget the design lottery, where any weaver can enter to create her own rug design using wool provided by Beni Rugs, and then take home the finished, self-designed and woven rug. "It's a lovely idea that has been enthusiastically embraced by our weavers. Considering that they create carpets for other people every day and now, thanks to the lottery, they get to weave a carpet all to themselves." Cristina ends the tour through the weaving workshop with a smile and leads us to the next work step.
Scorching
After weaving, one of the most important steps is scorching. Cristina explains why: "Not all our weavers can work here in our studio. For example, we have talented girls and women who live in the Atlas Mountains and for whom the commute would simply be too far. So these weavers often work at home or in cooperatives. The space they have at their disposal cannot, of course, meet our standards here at Beni Rugs studio. So it is not surprising that impurities can be found in the wool, which we can only tolerate to a minor degree according to our quality standards and those of our customers.
However, by scorching or singeing the fibres, we can ensure that any dirt particles, such as wood shavings, are largely removed from the fibres of the wool. Furthermore, scorching opens up the fibres of the carpet wool and thus optimally prepares them for the next step – washing."
The fact that scorching is a work step that also requires the know-how of a Maâlem (male expert) becomes quickly comprehensible when looking at a scarfed carpet. If the flame lingers too long over one spot, the carpet is ruined. If the fibres are not treated sufficiently with the fire, either the fibres may not open optimally or unwanted residues may remain in the carpet and make washing more laborious. (Side note: Since it is real wool and not a synthetic fibre, the carpet cannot burn. The soot from the scorched carpet fibres is completely washed out in the next step, revealing the colour originally chosen.)
Washing
"What distinguishes our carpets from those available in the city souks is that we wash them. Because washing is the only way to rid the carpet of the oily feel of the wool and rinse out any last residues. This way, we at Beni Rugs can offer a high-quality product made from genuine natural fibres with a clear conscience and guarantee that our carpets not only look good but also feel good."
Washing the rugs – after they have been woven by women's hands – is a man's job. Using watering cans, a traditional water-soap mixture handed down by Berbers is poured evenly over the carpet to be cleaned and worked into the fibres with a bust. The carpet is then rinsed with clear water. This process is repeated up to five times and uses a lot of water. However, Beni Rugs strives to reuse the used water with the help of a collection and treatment system, so that its own ecological footprint is kept as low as possible.
Drying
Since the carpets cannot be wrung out like a normal piece of laundry, they are dried by the wind and the Moroccan sun after washing. Over wooden racks, the wet carpets of different sizes, high and low pile, are allowed to drip and dry for as long as their size and pile require.
Trimming
Once the drying process is complete, the fibres can then be combed out and become wonderfully fluffy without any greasy residual feeling. Any remaining fibres are then trimmed by hand with scissors to an even length.
Stretching
"To make sure our carpets are really straight and smooth after washing and drying, we stretch them back into shape," Cristina explains to us, while two young men are at work with a kind of scaffolding on the carpet spread out in front of us. First, wooden blocks with nails are pressed into two opposite sections of the carpet. The fact that the pointed nails pierce the edge of the carpet does not harm it. Rather, it ensures the stability and securing of the wooden struts that are consequently clamped in place. These are attached to the nail blocks, pressed together crosswise downwards and joined together at the desired tension. Carpets of different widths can be tensioned and levelled through the holes made in the wooden struts at regular intervals. Depending on the length of a carpet, several of these tensioning frames may be needed. With the help of this technique, only smooth and levelled Beni Rugs leave the studio.
Back in the office, Cristina confesses with a very satisfied smile on her lips: "Everyone here is now happy about the timetable I draw up every day. This way, everyone knows what needs to be done each day, which job is pending and which carpet is where at the moment. So there is order here, which is not only good for our employees, but also has a positive effect on the quality of our carpets."
We thank Cristina from the bottom of our hearts for her enthusiasm in introducing us to Beni Rugs and for the time she took to show us around the studio in Tameslouht.
Morocco, May 2023. | All photos of the Beni studio in Tameslouht by The Sturgheons. | Photos of Tiberio Lobo-Navia, Robert Wright and design collaborations provided by Beni Rugs.
