On this episode, we interview Fadila Bennani, who decided to leave her stable job at Groupon in Casablanca after she had her daughter, so that she could fulfill her lifelong dream of creating a socially and environmentally responsible and authentic Moroccan brand now called Amaz.
Bennani was always into shoes as a student in high school and the university, but working as a consultant, she couldn’t wear sneakers in the office. At the same time, she was inspired by smaller brands launching online and growing fast in Europe, which were appealing to a more conscious consumer.
Now her shoe company, Amaz, takes traditional forms of Moroccan textile weaving to create both social and environmental impacts, at every level of its operation. “Amaz for Education” works as a give-back program which for every sneaker sold, one day of school is financed for a young girl in Morocco. They’ve raised they equivalent of over a year of schooling since the program started.
Her experience in e-commerce also opened her eyes to frivolous consumption of low value products. Working with recycled material and using traditional textile weaving of plastic bags, she has upcycled the equivalent of 500 standard plastic bags, and 700 VHS tapes (using the film).
By utilizing Moroccan know-how and craftsmanship, Bennani continues to build an ethical, eco-friendly and socially sustainable sneaker brand in Casablanca.
