Our story
Woven from the heart of Morocco
Every bag begins as a conversation between a woman's hands and centuries of craft.
How it began
A hidden shop, a stranger's hands, and a purse that stopped traffic
Sara Yoffe had been traveling to Morocco for years — drawn back, again and again, by its colors, its textiles, its unhurried beauty.
It was on one of those trips that she found Fatiha — a quiet artisan with a tiny shop tucked away from the crowds, her hands moving with the kind of precision that only comes from a lifetime of practice. The handbags she made were extraordinary. Intricate hand-stitching, vivid color, a quality that felt almost impossible. Sara bought two and brought them home to the US.
She couldn't go anywhere without being stopped. Strangers on the street, friends at dinner — everyone wanted to know where the bag was from. They were conversation pieces in the truest sense.
On her next trip, Sara went back to Fatiha's shop and bought a dozen more — gifts for friends. The same thing happened to every one of them. The bags had a way of making people stop and look.
On her third visit, Sara sat down with Fatiha and told her plainly: this work is too beautiful and too rare to stay hidden in a corner of the medina. The world should know your work.
That conversation became a partnership. That partnership became Medina Collection.
Women helping women
When one woman rises, she lifts others with her
At its heart, Medina Collection is a story about what happens when women support each other. Sara bringing Fatiha's work to the world isn't just about beautiful bags — it's about ensuring that Fatiha's craft, her livelihood, and her family are sustained and celebrated.
But the circle of support doesn't stop there. Because we believe that women who have the means to help other women carry a responsibility to do so, a portion of the profits from every sale goes to a nonprofit organization in Morocco dedicated to helping single mothers — women navigating some of life's hardest terrain with courage and without a safety net.
When you carry a Medina Collection bag, you are part of that circle. You are helping Fatiha do what she loves. And you are helping another woman — one you will never meet — find her footing.
When you carry a Medina Collection bag, you are part of that circle.
The craft
Hands that remember
Fatiha learned her craft the way it has always been learned in Morocco — watching, practicing, inheriting. Every stitch is placed by hand. Every color is chosen with intention. The leather is sourced from the ancient tanneries of Fès and Marrakech, where hides are still cured in stone vats using methods unchanged since the 11th century.
The embroidery and crochet work — the saffron threads, the cobalt stitching, the terracotta and emerald accents — is applied stitch by stitch, pattern by pattern. No two bags are identical. Each one carries the signature of the hands that made it.
No two bags are identical. Each one carries the signature of the hands that made it.
The tradition
A thousand years of making
Moroccan leatherwork is one of the oldest continuous craft traditions in the world. The medinas of Fès, Marrakech, and Tangier have been centers of artisan production since the medieval era — their souks a living archive of technique, pattern, and color.
The geometric motifs that appear on our bags are drawn from Amazigh and Andalusian design traditions, adapted and reinterpreted by each artisan in her own voice. When you carry a Medina Collection piece, you carry that history with you.
What we stand for
Authentic craft
Every piece is handmade in Morocco by skilled artisans. We never use machines for the work that hands do better.
Fair partnership
Artisans are paid fairly and on time. We believe the people who make the work should share in its success.
Living tradition
We document and celebrate the techniques behind each collection, ensuring these skills are preserved and passed on.
Purposeful giving
A portion of every sale supports women navigating single motherhood in Morocco through our partner organizations.
Meet the collection
Each bag is a piece of Morocco — its color, its craft, its spirit.
Shop the collection