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Sidihamza Hamzaoui – Morocco

Textile & Djellaba Design

My name is Hamzaoui Sidihamza . I am happy to make this interview with you and to be here with you.

The djellaba Hamzaoui has many styles, short and long, made from cotton and silk, made by hand from the thread to the finely woven materials and to the fitting and making of the djellaba itself. The maker must be especially skilled to make a quality djellaba. It is a heritage from my family. I am a skilled worker in this heritage and it has a special clientele; however, what concerns me is that some people are stealing our work, our own heritage by making imitations of the djellaba Hamzaoui.

In our making, we employ skilled women who work by hand. One old woman is over 100 years and still works making these djellabas. It is very difficult to make one djellaba Hamzaoui. Usually it takes two women working one month to make one djellaba. But the imitation takes just one hour or less; the fabrics and djellaba is made by machine and the quality is poor.

I met one of my special clients who had bought an imitation. I told him, “This is an imitation; it is not hand-woven or handmade.” The loss of our heritage and business to foreign imitators is a huge concern for me, my family and our workers.