Fassi embroidery, also known as Tarz al Fassi, is a traditional style of embroidery from the city of Fès in Morocco. It is renowned for its intricate, geometric, and reversible designs. Fassi embroidery is typically carried out on a large scale, with large tablecloths and napkins taking months to complete.

In this workshop, you will learn the basic stitches of traditional Fès embroidery. With just thread, a needle, and some fabric, you can take home a piece of Moroccan heritage in the form of a napkin.

The embroidery school is part of the Fadila El Gadi Foundation for the Arts of Embroidery, founded in October 2015 and located in the Hay Salam district of Salé. The foundation was established by the Moroccan designer Fadila El Gadi, who had the dream of perpetuating and passing on the art of traditional embroidery to young people. The mission of the Fadila El Gadi Foundation for the Arts of Embroidery in Salé is to train young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in crafts related to traditional embroidery. In doing so, the foundation contributes to the preservation and promotion of Moroccan cultural heritage and improves the social conditions of young people by facilitating their access to the job market.

Nabila was a student at the Fadila El Gadi Foundation for the Arts of Embroidery. She graduated in 2020 and is now an embroidery teacher, working freelance on embroidery projects. She is 24 years old and lives in Salé.

Aissa was also a student at the Fadila El Gadi Foundation for the Arts of Embroidery. He graduated in 2021 and has since been collaborating with Fadila El Gadi and other workshops. He specializes in pearls and maalam embroidery.