Take a trip to Morocco and it's likely you'll end up having a rummage in one of the country's enticing souks. But there's only so much you can fit into your suitcase. Enter a new initiative, Leave Your Wardrobe in Morocco, set up by Brits Jeremy Davies and Paolo Barbieri.
'About five years ago we bought a house in Essaouira and decided to set up Project 91, a charity to help young people complete their education and find jobs,' Davies says. 'Leave Your Wardrobe raises funds for it. We ask tourists to offload any items they may not want, which we sell in our shop, Mashi Mushki. We've had everything left from pink wellington
boots to a handmade Welsh blanket. Profits go to Project 91. It means that tourists can free up space in their suitcases which they can then fill with local artisan goods.' It's shopping with a heart.
How to
spend your dirhams
• Rugs and local art can also be found at Mashi Mushki, alongside the second-hand clothing. The owners contribute a percentage of profits from all non-donated goods to Project 91. dar91.com
• Raffia sandals and shoes in natural colours as well as popping shades of pink, green and orange from Miro Abihssira, a designer working out of Essaouira. Rafia Craft, 82 rue d'Agadir, Essaouira.
• Handmade leather handbags from Poupalitza, a Tunisian fashion designer based in Essaouira and Paris.
• Bedouin sequined wedding blankets and other homewares
from Atelier Moro. Run by Colombian Viviana Gonzalez, it sells everything from kaftans and handbags to picture frames, cutlery and jewellery. Ring the doorbell for access. 114 Place du Mouassine, Marrakech.
• Collections from new designers can be found at La Galerie, beneath one of Marrakech's favourite eateries La Terrasse des Epices. It's a chic group of mini boutiques run by some of Morocco's most interesting designers. 15 Souk Cherifia, Sidi Abdelaziz, Marrakech.
