In the studio with Laurence Leenaert in Marrakesh
A new twist on traditional Moroccan craftsmanship. Part of Vol.3
Sometimes it only takes one person taking a risk to change the life of many. A person like Laurence Leenaert, a Belgian designer who followed her heart and developed her brand LRNCE in Marrakesh, Morocco.
This is an excerpt. Find the whole article inside our third issue.
This Orient: Hi Laurence. We know that you currently live in Marrakech and that you studied in Belgium, but where do you actually come from?
Laurence Leenaert: I also come from Belgium, I grew up there. In the West-Flemish part, close to Ghent, a small town called Kortrijk. Not very known. Pretty different from Morocco.
But nevertheless you like it in Morocco?
I love it here, but I never imagined moving to Morocco. I first came here on a trip to the desert with my sister and I really liked it. So I came back for another six weeks with my sewing machine and I ended up buying fabric here and making bags. At the time, I told a friend that I met here ‘I am going to move to Morocco, to see what I can do here’. I just wanted to stay here and see how I could develop my brand. So I moved!
