The house

Contemporary accessories between Paris and Casablanca

Founded in 2019 by the French-Moroccan designer Karima Bidar, ISLI turns cultural heritage into objects made for now. Developed between Paris and Casablanca, the work lives in a dialogue between design, craftsmanship and material.

The name comes from the Amazigh legend of Isli and Tislit, two lovers whose tears formed two lakes in the Atlas. It describes how a story travels across generations, changing shape without ever losing its force.

Deux sacs Toubkal ISLI, bleu et rose, posés sur un drapé rose dans une nature morte de studio

The making

  • Offcuts of deadstock leather in purple, pink, olive and blue, piled on the workbench.

    Deadstock leather

    ISLI works exclusively with deadstock leather, sourced through responsible networks and partners such as La Réserve des Arts in Paris. Working with what already exists extends the life of the material.

  • Bag handles in purple, olive, black and pale blue, cut and riveted, spread across the bench.

    Cut and assembled by hand

    Each piece is cut, folded and riveted by hand in Casablanca, alongside Tarik, master leather artisan and teacher at the Maison de l'Artisanat.

  • Electric blue Toubkal bags hanging in a row, finished and ready to leave the workshop.

    Very small runs

    Each colour exists in a handful of pieces. Variation in grain, texture and colour is part of the object, not a defect.

The founder

Karima Bidar

Raised between France and Morocco, Karima Bidar grew up moving between cultures, landscapes and visual traditions. She began her career in New York before establishing her own creative practice in Paris.

She founded ISLI in 2019 to bring together design, craftsmanship and cultural transmission, and still draws every piece between the two cities.

Karima, founder of ISLI Studio, in the showroom beside her leather bags
  • Between Paris and Casablanca
  • Deadstock leather
  • Made by hand
  • Heritage transformed
  • Very small runs
  • Fabriqué à Paris

The most precious legacies are not those we keep unchanged, but those we transform and carry forward.

Karima Bidar, founder

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