Play on Craft

As the question of craftsmanship thunders around art, fashion and interior design in an age of overproduction, so too does a nostalgia for a more personal and handcrafted process of creation. Our attitudes towards craft are changing, with a growing appreciation for traditional methods of making and shaping amidst a production climate that prioritises quantity and speed potentially over quality or uniqueness.

When it comes to traditional craftsmanship, there’s of course a sense of necessary preservation, with the heritage craft charity ruling 146 crafts (out of an evaluation of 259) as endangered and the bleak red list growing every year. There’s some hope in the number of young apprenticeships that businesses like Chanel’s 19M or Hermès are filling with a new generation looking to work with their hands, but it takes a brave soul to try to tackle the problem. 

Recognising the real magic of true craftmanship lying in the idiosyncrasies of the human touch, French-Moroccan creative, Sophia Kacimi, wants to celebrate the hands that make. And so it is this brave soul who launched Zoubida in 2021, recognising that the collaborative effort it takes to make things was the part of the creative process she wanted to dedicate her brand to. More than a brand, Zoubida marries art, fashion and interior design under the matrimony of traditional craftsmanship. After working with the likes of Chanel, Alexander McQueen and Burberry as a merchandiser, Sophia says “I felt a need to come up with a more thoughtful system and bring work to talented people I know in Morocco”. 

Beginning with an ethos of “art to wear” and “art to use” Zoubida’s unique use of upholstered fabrics and jacquard materials convert into regal (but fun!) overcoats and playful Moroccan furnishings. Brightly coloured pouffs, typically found as centrepieces in Moroccan homes, are spread about the space. “They are a real ‘Madeleine de proust’ : they evoke childhood memories for everyone who grew up in North Africa” shares Sophia. “I love bringing them out of their original context, giving them a new, unexpected life! It’s like bringing the past into the present and fashions them towards the future”

This January, Sophia’s giving us all an invitation to interact on a deeper level with things we wear or live amongst, offering us a new way to appreciate how things are made in the first place. Presenting her installation ‘Play on Craft’ at the TANK GPS space this month in Central London, the Zoubida creations display a considered approach to craft with an anthology of interactive and wearable items made very personally with Moroccan artisans and creatives she knows by name. 

Amidst the scattering of jewel-toned pouffs sits the ‘pièce de résistance’, the Zoubia jacquard fabric giant chessboard. Stretching 3m x 3m the beautifully imposing reimagination of a game that has spanned hundreds of years, the giant chess set finds a new home after launching in the Fall of 2024 at Somerset House. While the king and his fate is what drives the game, Sophia understands that without the other pieces, he is simply another piece on the board. Made in collaboration with artisan friends between the Moroccan cities of Rabat and Fes, the chessboard offered the chance to “suggest something new” shares Sophia. “I like the idea of turning material on its head, exploring new shapes and combining things that wouldn’t naturally be found together.”

Being surrounded by the world of Zoubida and interacting with the chessboard or reclining on Sophia’s opulent pouffs, it’s clear that the Zoubida world is inviting us to play in its joyful, colourful world.. ‘Play on Craft’ will run for the month of January, and if like the rest of us, the first month slump is already hitting, we suggest you inject your day with a strategic game of chess and step in Zoubida’s beautifully crafted world. 

Come play at TANK GPS, 91-93 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7NX every weekday 10am-6pm, and this Saturday January 11th find Sophia there from 11am-6pm.