SUE COPELAND
Sue Copeland handmade accessories is an exciting and exclusive collection of handloom and hand-embroidered scarves, throws, accessories and bags using natural fibres such as cotton, linen, silk and Merino wool that reflect Sue’s passion for sustainable and authentic craftsmanship.
With years of experience as an international fashion designer in the luxury fashion industry, Sue has used her passion for fabric, colour and form to create beautiful, one-off pieces showcasing the uniquely rich colours of the Marrakesh souk. These heirloom garments, created with natural fibres and crafted using ancient techniques are premium investment pieces that will not only last but will become your most reached-for items for years to come. Enhancing any outfit, the pieces showcase stunning detail, super soft fabrics, delicate weaving and intricate embroidery.
These timeless designs will be worn for many years and maintain their quality as they age gracefully.
SUE’S STORY
I am former PS Menswear Director at Paul Smith, and have been an international fashion designer for over 30 years, including at Laura Biagiotti in Rome, Conran in London and Esprit in San Francisco.
After a sudden stroke in 2010, which left me with Aphasia, an impairment of language, I focused on my rehabilitation. Having worked with the charity Aphasia Re-Connect, I regained most of my speech and while recovering from my stroke, I rediscovered my passion for sewing, leading to a hand-made collection of cushions to raise money for the charity. Since this limited-edition collection, I have focused on honing my skills and have since launched various collections that truly reflect my creative life.
My new and exclusive collection of handloom and hand-embroidered scarves reflect my passion for sustainable authentic craftsmanship.
As an antidote to expressing myself through speech and writing and on my road to recovery from Aphasia, I take creative inspiration from visual media at design exhibitions, from photography, folk art and culture, great finds at flea markets and vintage embroidery samplers. I travel a lot and have a love of walking. My favourite reference books are by the painter Sean Scully, textile designer Anna Albers and I have a wonderful dictionary of needlework.
Whilst on a visit to Morocco with my friend Belinda Gallop-Iliffe, I felt a deep connection with Marrakesh, the uniquely rich colours of the souks selling textiles, rugs, pottery and clay tiles, the spice stalls and the warm and welcoming nature of the local people and their open hearts and minds.
I visited Ourika Valley in the rural outskirts and the calm and muted tones of the natural landscape made me stand still. I started to visualise: my photographs and colours became a story and a mood. This is the inspiration behind my collections.
This is how I started working with the people of Marrakech. Alnour and Mancala, my weaving and embroidery partners, were founded by Patricia, a wonderful woman who is the creative lead behind the teams where traditional weaving and embroidery techniques are combined with new thinking and ideas.
ALNOUR AND MANCALA
Upon visiting Marrakesh six years ago, I by chance came across a wonderful all female cooperative led by Patricia Kahane, an amazing woman who set up Alnour Association. Alnour, meaning ‘light’ in Arabic, works to change the lives of women with disabilities in Marrakesh. It is currently made up of around forty artisans who specialise in hand embroideries and hand finished details like tassels and fringes, which you can see on my products. These details and the expertise of the ladies are so inspiring and I love working with them to produce my scarves, jewellery and lavender bags. AInour was created in 2013 and as a caring employer, it provides its worker with health insurance and a pension, plus training in languages, professional and artisans skills. A childcare centre allows mothers to work while their children are cared for and workers also receive a free breakfast and lunch each day. They use 100% natural fibres such as cotton, linen, silk, wool and pashmina.
I work with the weavers at Mancala, which was set up by Patricia Kahane two years ago, to produce my hand loomed scarves. Mancala is a textile company in Marrakesh specialising in traditional craft and the makers dedicate their lives to their art, training under Master Weavers from a very young age. From my initial design ideas and sketches, we work together with my colour chart and mood boards to produce yarns and fabrics for my range.
Working with these suppliers, I am able to ensure that my pieces are not just of amazing quality but are sustainable, too. These are heirloom garments, created using natural fibres and made with ancient techniques and their premium prices reflect the fact that they are investment pieces, rather than fast fashion. These are timeless designs that you will wear for many years to come and that will maintain their quality as they age gracefully.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE MAKER
Junior weaver Abdelhafid El Hafiane began learning the legacy trade of weaving under the supervision and mentorship of the master artisans at Mancala Weavers. Using ancient techniques and looms still operated by hand, Abdelhafid is a cool and determined man helping keep these traditional skills alive.
With 20 years’ experience of hand-weaving techniques learned from the age of eight in his family’s textile business, Omar Arkadou may be steeped in traditional skills but he is also open-minded to new ideas. He is particularly adept at creating the gorgeous tassels which adorn each piece.
