Yahoo Finance This New Home Line Marries the Histories of the Mediterranean
Left: Entwine glazed terra-cotta set of four bowls by Maria Jeglinska for Trame. $577. Right: Orma wool pillow by Sophie Dries for Trame. From $165.
As a Moroccan citizen who was born and raised in Fez, went to university in France, and has lived and worked in the United States and Europe, Ismail Tazi has always appreciated cross-national exchange. He also has a long-standing passion for the craft industry, a legacy he inherited from his great-grandparents, who worked with silk and embroidery. So when Tazi decided to leave his job in investment banking in 2019 to start a design brand, it was inevitable that these two facets would find a distinct harmony.
The result is Trame, which Tazi debuted in Paris in January 2020, with his business partner and cousin, Adnane Tazi. Trame is French for “weft,” and it is a fitting name for a brand that seeks to bridge the various histories of the Mediterranean basin. Working with the Milan-based artistic director Valentina Ciuffi, Ismail pairs contemporary designers with local artisans in a particular country to conceive thoughtful objects. The first collection, “A Voyage to Meknes,” was inspired by the story of Sultan Moulay Ismail of Meknes, Morocco, who reputedly asked to marry the daughter of Louis XIV but was rejected; it includes glossy terra-cotta and white clay ceramics, and hand-knotted Berber wool rugs by Maria Jeglinska, Maddalena Casadei, and Julie Richoz.
A second offering explores the raw beauty of Calabria, Italy, with evocative and muscular terra-cotta masks by Giovanni De Francesco, Objects of Common Interest, and Antonio Bonamico, and textured handwoven wool pillows by Sophie Dries.
“I wanted to create something that inspires everyone, not just part of the population or a certain group,” Tazi explains. “Our society should be celebrating more of our common cultural heritage rather than emphasizing what differentiates us.” trameparis.com
This story originally appeared in the May 2021 issue of ELLE Decor. SUBSCRIBE
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