The High Atlas ranges surround us on all sides. The air is thin due to the altitude. I feel it most in the sheer weight of my limbs. The village square is small and almost completely unoccupied, indicating just how remote we are.

Karin Reinders and her ethical homewares company Fair Fabrics are the reason for our visit to this isolated village. We are here with THE BOUNDLESS EDIT to film Fair Fabrics’ partnership with an all-female run weaving cooperative in the area. But what I soon discover is that this is more than just a business relationship. At the heart of this partnership is a shared vision – the empowerment of local women through economic independence. 

“Through Fair Fabrics, I want the women to feel they can create with their minds, as well as their hands”.

The few locals dwelling in the village square give us their full attention, as we no doubt seem like a van of lost tourists. Looking at them, I notice a small lithe woman walking briskly toward our convoy, a vibrant tie-dyed scarf of orange and yellow bellowing behind her. She has a tight, guarded smile on her lips. But the most striking thing about her is that she is walking unaccompanied in public – not a common sight in rural Morocco. 

But then, this is Fatima, and she cannot be considered your average women. She is, in fact, a self-made person and an entrepreneur. She is the president of the all-women Traditional Textiles Cooperative, which is now 60 weavers strong.

To provide context, Morocco has recently revised their laws so that now married women the right to start their own businesses and get jobs without their husbands’ permission. Fatima is not married. Yet she has somehow not only forged her own career in the Traditional Textiles Industry, she has taken the women from her community with her.

This collective works directly with Fair Fabrics.  Karin Reinders’ brand is built on transparency, collaboration and preservation of local craftsmanship. In fact, Fair Fabrics was born from a deep found respect and admiration for handmade wares and the stories imprinted in them. 

During its inception, Karin caught wind of an all-women run weaving cooperative in the high Atlas mountains. Next to nothing could be found online, so with little more than a map, a small hire car and a handful of photographs Karin set off on a journey through rugged terrain stopping at each town and village to ask if anyone knew the women in her photographs. After a long search, Karin located them. Their village was so small it had not even been noted on a map.

Now Karin frequently visits Morocco to collaborate on custom pieces with this collective, which has proven to be a valuable market beyond the local souks of the Ifrane Province of the Fès-Meknès Région.