How We Select Artisans
How We Select
Artisans.
Not every skilled craftsperson becomes a Moroccan Corridor® partner. Our selection process is rigorous, personal, and built on five non-negotiable criteria.
The quality of the product
begins with the person.
At Moroccan Corridor®, we do not source from catalogues, trade fairs, or wholesale platforms. Every artisan in our network was identified through direct fieldwork — visits to medinas, workshops, cooperatives, and craft schools across Tétouan, Chefchaouen, Fez, and Marrakech. Our selection process is the foundation of our quality guarantee and our ethical sourcing commitment.
We currently work with a deliberately small number of artisan partners. We believe that depth of relationship produces better work than breadth of supply. Every partner we add to our network goes through the same process, regardless of how they were referred or how long they have been practising their craft.
What we look for.
In every artisan.
Technical Mastery
We assess the artisan’s command of their core technique — whether that is hand-tooling and embossing leather, vegetable tanning, flat-weave kilim construction, or Sabra silk knotting. We look for precision, consistency, and the kind of fluency that only comes from years of dedicated practice. We do not work with artisans who are still developing foundational skills.
Authenticity of Method
We verify that the artisan uses traditional, authentic production methods — not shortcuts or industrial substitutes. For leather goods, this means hand-stitching, hand-tooling, and vegetable-tanned hides. For textiles, this means hand-loomed or hand-knotted construction using natural fibres. We do not partner with workshops that use machine stitching, synthetic materials, or chrome-tanned leather while presenting their work as traditional.
Working Conditions
We visit every workshop before entering a partnership and conduct regular follow-up visits. We assess the physical environment, the working hours, the presence of any child labour, and the general dignity of the working conditions. Any workshop that does not meet our minimum standards is not eligible for partnership, regardless of the quality of the work produced.
Reliability and Capacity
We assess whether the artisan can deliver consistent quality at the volumes we require, within realistic timeframes. We do not overload artisan partners with orders that compromise their quality or their wellbeing. We look for artisans who are honest about their capacity and who communicate proactively when timelines are at risk.
Shared Values
We look for artisans who take pride in their craft, who care about the quality of what they produce, and who share our belief that Moroccan handmade goods deserve to be valued and priced accordingly. We do not work with artisans who are primarily motivated by volume or who are willing to cut corners to increase output. The best partnerships are built on mutual respect for the work itself.
From first meeting
to first order.
Our artisan network is small by design. We would rather work deeply with a few exceptional craftspeople than superficially with many. Every piece in our collection can be traced back to a specific workshop and a specific pair of hands.