Draft:Moroccan leather craftsmanship

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Leather craftsmanship is one of the most important aspects of Moroccan craftsmanship and has been a traditional craft in Morocco for centuries, a profession passed down from generation to generation since the Almohad dynasty in the 12th century. Until today, the materials and techniques used in tanning are ancestral and the leather craftsmanship comes from a legendary Moroccan inspiration.

Leather craftsmanship is still today supporting thousands of families in Fez and other major cities. It accounts for 6.1% of the total Moroccan Handicraft turnover that reached a total of 96 Billions Dirhams in 2023, and 6% of 1.2 millions workers, which is the total number of the Moroccan Handicraft jobs..

Despite the fact that the year 2023 was marked by the achievement of a record level of exports from the crafts sector of around 1072 MDH (7% increase compared to the previous year), leather products reached barely 33 million DH, with a share not exceeding 3% of total crafts exports.

Leather craftsmanship  is now in danger of disappearing and artisans are calling on the government to save it.

Raw Material

In the meat industry, the skin and hides of animals are considered waste material. At the same time, the Traditional leather market recycles the skins and hides to produce leather. According to North Africa food and agriculture organization (FAO). In 2019, the meat produced in Morocco was around 153 million tons. Each individual currently consumes meat is around 39.4kg of meat every year, and in 1965, it was around 14.5kg of meat a year.

Increasing meat consumption automatically produces the waste skins and hides of animals. Dumping waste is not financially beneficial for the meat industry. So, the leather industry will use skins and hides for the production of leather.

Based on the type, the Moroccan traditional leather market is segmented into bovine leather, sheep leather, and goat leather

Goat leather dominates the Moroccan traditional leather market in 2023. Due to its highest quality, it is also one of the most volatile leathers. The leather is composed of interwoven fibers that are very opaque. It gives the skins a very tight and clean texture. The natural characteristic of goat leather is that it is very soft and flexible and is water-resistant due to lanolin and its waxy fat.

Production Process

The production of leather hides takes place in Fez or Marrakech, which are entirely occupied by tannery districts.

Leather production is a complex multi-stage process that usually includes the following steps:

• Leather preparation: In this stage, the hide is separated from the animal's body, and then the hair, fat, and other excess materials are removed.
• Tanning: In this stage, the hide becomes a material that is resistant to rot and damage.
• Dyeing: In this stage, the desired color is added to the hide.
• Processing: In this stage, the hide is made into the desired shape and size and is ready for use.

Traditional leather tanning

Tanning is the process of transforming the hide of an animal after skinning it into a useful product, leather. The tanning process preserves the hide from rot and gives it elasticity and durability. Tanning is done entirely by hand without the need for machinery, using only 100% natural resources and no artificial or chemical products. A natural process that has been practiced since medieval times.

Dar Chaouara, one of three leather tanneries in the old city of Fez, is a large leather industry workshop that has been passed down from generation to generation by craftsmen. However, this house, which turns into a beehive every morning, remains the largest, to the point that some call it the Moroccan leather stock exchange. Similar to Fez, the city of Meknes, which is about 60 km away, and Marrakesh, located in southern Morocco, also host other leather tanning houses; however, craftsmen believe that the starting point and origin has always been Fez.

Moroccan Tanneries consist of many stone vessels filled with a wide range of dyes and various liquids spread out like a watercolor tray. Dozens of men, many of whom are standing waist-deep in dyes, work under the hot sun to tend to the hides that remain soaked in the vessels.

The hides are first soaked for 2-3 days in a caustic mixture of cow urine, quicklime, water and salt, while the tanners scrape off the hair fibers and fat in order to prepare them for dyeing. This helps break down the tough leather, removing excess fat, flesh and hair that remain on it.

Then, they are soaked again in a set of vats containing a mixture of water and pigeon droppings, which contains ammonia that acts as a softening agent that allows the skins to become malleable, making them easier to work with and allowing them to absorb the dye.

The skins are then transferred to the beaks where the artisans trample them barefoot every day from 6am to 2:30pm to knead the hives and obtain the desired softness.

Dyeing the leather

When the skins are dry and smooth, they are ready to be dyed. And to do this work, they use natural products that are exclusively used for dyeing: poppy for red, mint for green, indigo for blue, kohl for black, henna for orange and a mixture oil with pomegranate for yellow. The skins thus prepared for a week are then rinsed and relaxed for a day by means of a wooden machine in which they are rotated.

Manufacturing process of leather goods

After being designed, each piece of leather is carefully cut and sewn using traditional tools, then oiled in order to eliminate the smell of the leather. For decoration, Moroccan artisans use engraving, painting and inlaying of colored leather, barbarian kilim, precious stones, copper or silver, depending on each model.

Moroccan Traditional Leather Market

The traditional leather market is widely used in the production of goods and products such as footwear, accessories, furniture, automobile accessories, etc. The Moroccan handicraft sector achieved a turnover of 96.4 billion MAD in 2022, with an added value of 51.1 billion MAD and a number of jobs of 1,224,016.

	Turnover (Billions Dirhams)	Added Value  (Billions Dirhams)	Jobs	% Added Value/Turnover
Handicraft	96.4	51.1	1,224,016	53%

Activities related to leather goods account for 6.1% of the total Moroccan Handicraft turnover and 6% of its total number of jobs.

Recently, artisans are focusing on upgrading the old version of the manufacturing infrastructure and are observing the opportunities available in the e-commerce sector.

Data on exports of traditional leather products during the last five years

During the year 2021, leather goods exports increased by 17% compared to 2020, and their turnover reached 43 million dirhams, a share equivalent to 5% of total exports of traditional craft products.

	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Exports (Thousands of DH)	36 711	43 446	36 730	43 099	36 764	33 175
Evolution % Previous Year	-1%	18%	-15%	17%	-15%	10%
Handicraft Market Share	5%	5%	6%	5%	4%	3%

Handcrafted Leather goods exports is experinecing regression over the last five years.

Importing markets for leather goods (year 2021)

The American market receives more than a third of leather goods exports, with a share of 37%, and France comes in second with a share of 11%, followed by Spain and the category "other European countries" (9% each). knowing that more than half of leather goods exports going to this category were sent to Switzerland and Scotland (56%).

Leather goods exporting cities (year 2021)

The cities of Casablanca and Marrakech monopolized leather goods exports, with a share of approximately 91%. Casablanca accounted for the largest share (61%) of exports, mainly to the United States of America (48%) and Belgium (13%). The city of Marrakech, for its part, contributed with a share of 30% of the turnover of these products, to France (24%) and the United States of America (21%) and the category "Other European countries" (20%), represented mainly by Scotland (56%), Denmark (18%) and Sweden (14%).

How Morocco wants to develop this sector

Export, labeling and the sustainability of trades are the three priority levers for the development of Moroccan crafts in general, and traditional leather craftsmanship in particular. A sector that strongly faces the problem of informal work. The challenge therefore remains the structuring of the sector and the strengthening of its competitiveness. In this context, the main current government actions are the creation of the National Registry of Crafts, which saw the registration of more than 389,000 artisans, and the establishment of the Compulsory Health Insurance, which has more than 641,000 beneficiaries. Programs were also launched to improve craft production, market knowledge and export orientation