Moroccan based Beni Rugs launches emergency GoFundMe for victims of Moroccan earthquake. Shown,
earthquake impact in Imi N'Tala
TAMESLOUHT, Morocco – Beni Rugs Inc., headquartered in Tameslouht, Morocco and with a West Village brownstone apartment showspace in Manhattan, has announced a fundraiser for victims of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Friday night, Sept. 8, killing nearly 3,000.
In an announcement company co-founders Robert Wright and Tiberio Lobo-Navia said that the road to rebuild will be a long one, and that it is committed to supporting its team's families and communities over the long haul. As an initial step, Beni Rugs is setting aside 5 percent of September and October revenue to this cause.
The Beni Rebuilding Fund fundraiser by Beni Rugs was launched to help quickly supply residents of the hardest hit areas with emergency supplies, to rebuild homes destroyed in the earthquake and to provide aid to disadvantaged young girls in the mountain communities in partnership with Education for All Morocco. Funds received will be distributed between these initiatives.
Until the earthquake, Education for All Morocco operated six boarding houses for disadvantaged girls in the Atlas Mountains, supplying them with education and opportunity in a region where these are not givens. They report that several of their boarding homes were damaged irreparably, and others need significant work to be habitable. Many of their students are still missing.
The impact of the earthquake continues to weigh heavily on Morocco. Remote mountain villagers have lost homes, lives and towns, and aid has been slow to come. In the face of adversity, Beni Rugs commends the resilience, resolve, and generosity of the inspiring volunteers who have leapt into action.
“Our Morocco Studio is back open, our weaving team is back to work, and our gratitude for this is hard to put into words. While all members of our immediate team are safe and sound, the families of our team have been tragically affected - with some of them losing loved ones or their homes,” said a company spokesperson.
“Our team members have made visits to villages, witnessing the destruction firsthand and delivering a steady stream of food, supplies, blankets, and water. We've purchased tents and beds to house 100. However, there's so much more to do. Winter is coming, and cold nights mean that those without homes will need support to make it through the season ahead.”
Beni Rugs launched as a digital showroom in 2018 and opened its 8,000 square foot headquarters, studio in Tameslouht, Morocco in July 2021. The studio, which houses the company’s design HQ, rug showroom, and its team of Berber women who weave the brand’s rugs, is situated on the Route to Amizmiz, an emerging design enclave twenty minutes south of Marrakech.
Simultaneously in July 2021 the company opened its first New York showroom in collaboration with interior stylist and designer Colin King in an historic brownstone at 13 W. 9 St. Dubbed the Beni Apartment, the showroom is open by appointment and features a rotating installation of the company’s handwoven, knotted and flat weave creations, bringing Morocco to the city.
Beni Rugs, with showrooms in NYC and Morocco, will donate 5 percent of proceed to earthquake victims. Shown,
Obscura designed by Colin King