Travel Diary · Marrakech 2025
We returned to Marrakech six years after the trip that ignited one of Vicode's first sparks. We weren't just looking for new objects: we wanted to understand what remained of that initial intuition and what direction it could point us in today.
Returning to where it all began
The first time we arrived in Marrakech was in 2019. Vicode did not yet have the form we know today, but on that trip we had already recognized many of the elements that would become central to our project: direct research, encounters with people, the value of manual work, and an object's ability to tell the story of its origin.
In 2025, we returned with a different perspective. More aware, but still willing to be surprised. The city welcomed us with its contrasts: the density of the souk and the sudden silence of a courtyard, the dust of the streets and the greenery hidden behind a doorway, the ancient gestures of artisans and the energy of those trying to build new opportunities.
The story of our first encounter with the city is still available in the diary dedicated to Marrakech and Moroccan artisanal culture .
Returning did not mean repeating the previous journey. It meant observing the same places with new questions.
Dar Rbaa Laroub: a hidden house in the medina
During our stay, we were hosted at Dar Rbaa Laroub , a riad hidden within the fabric of the medina. Beyond a discreet door, shaded courtyards, terraces, lush plants, and glimpses of the Koutoubia open up.
What made the stay special was above all Jean Noël and his staff. Their welcome never felt contrived: their helpfulness, spontaneous conversations, and silent attention to detail allowed us to experience the riad as a home, not just a place to stay.
The project can also be followed through the Instagram profile @riadjeannoel .
People and projects
The meeting with Nicole Valenti, Aldo Belkouar, and Zawyaty
One of the most important moments of the trip was the meeting with Nicole Valenti and Aldo Belkouar , associated with the Zawyaty project.
In the Sidi Bel Abbès Mosque district, we discovered a place that focuses on training young artisans in traditional Moroccan techniques. Metal, zellij, leather, ceramics, and textiles are not presented as mere decorative elements, but as skills to be learned, practiced, and passed on.
We were struck by how the project connects different generations and languages. On one hand, there is the knowledge of workshops and artisan families; on the other, young people who can transform that knowledge into a profession and a concrete future.
You can also follow their activities on the profile @zawyaty_marrakech .
What we look for when we travel
Marrakech continues to be a place of research for us, but research doesn't necessarily coincide with buying. Before objects come people, workshops, materials, and the contexts in which a form was born.
Entering a workshop means observing how wood is worked, how a surface changes after firing, which tools are handed down, and which techniques are rethought. These are details that help distinguish an authentic artifact from an object that merely reproduces its appearance.
The origin
Knowing the place, workshop, or person who made an object allows us to describe it without resorting to generic descriptions.
The craftsmanship
Manual marks, irregularities, and variations in material are not flaws to hide, but elements that document the process.
The possibility of inhabiting the present
An object can have ancient roots and, at the same time, find a natural role in a contemporary home.
From Marrakech to the Vicode selection
We returned with notes, photographs, contacts, and some objects chosen along the way. Not all will necessarily enter the catalog: each piece must be observed, documented, and included in a selection consistent with how we understand living.
We are interested in the material retaining its identity and in history not being separated from form. It is this transition, from travel to home, that gives meaning to our research work.
To learn more about the relationship between objects, origin, and material culture, you can also read The Soul of Objects , the story dedicated to some encounters that marked the Vicode selection.
