Boucherouite rugs - little works of environmentally friendly art

Morocco is well known for beautiful and original hand-woven Berber wool rugs, with the weaving reflecting the age-old traditions and beliefs of various tribes. Since the middle of the 20th century a new type of iconic rug started to become better known when Berber women started to make a variety of carpets using cheaper recycled alternatives to wool and weaving in new non-traditional and often wildly extravagant styles. This is the Boucherouite rug, (pronounced boo-shay-REET), a word meaning in Arabic ‘a piece torn from used clothing’, or a ‘scrap’.

Making waste meaningful

These authentic rural rugs were sturdy practical household items that were in fact truly environmentally friendly : they were made to last a long time and Berber women recycled everything they had to hand to produce them, making the most of every resource and not wasting anything. Women used rag strips and yarns from recycled clothes, wool, cotton and even Lurex, sheets of plastic cut from grain-transport bags or packing materials, and nylon. There was no waste yet these highly sustainable rugs were also little works of tribal art.

The dyes in the scraps and materials used are usually much brighter and bolder than naturally dyed wool and have an irresistible exuberance, sense of happiness and creative vitality. Berber women created them without a drawing or fixed design : their ideas came straight from the mind of creator, and the colour and texture of the rugs are amazing and they can look like a spontaneous piece of contemporary art. Women took things that were unwanted and made them beautiful.

Storied and the secondhand

Yet these high-energy rugs always served practical domestic purposes, created without any idea to sell them or with any commercial considerations in mind. They were often placed in high traffic areas, over much more valuable wool rugs or used to sit on when cooking or preparing food.

They were also woven to sit on when travelling by mule or horse and are frequently still seen in the streets and mountains of Morocco as saddle and seat covers.

These colourful bohemian rugs are not just strong and sustainable but can significantly enhance the beauty of a home, and they suit almost any interior design. They are truly gorgeous examples of creators finding ways to re-use and lock up materials for as long as possible.