Pop-Up
TUNISIAN SOUK
Holiday Pop-Up Market

Curated by Pauline Eveillard of SOUKRA


Friday, December 6, 2019
Shopping & Book Signings 4–7:30pm
Wine & Kemia Reception 6–7:30pm

Saturday, December 7, 2019
Shopping & Book Signings 10am–7pm
FIAF Skyroom



Shop and discover leading and emerging Tunisian brands, designers, and artisans, showcased in a one-of-a-kind pop-up at FIAF. Just in time for the holidays!

This two-day pop-up market in the FIAF Skyroom features a curated collection of men’s, women’s and children’s ready-to-wear, accessories, beauty, home décor, books, and food. A kids corner during the souk will offer books and games for children to enjoy while parents are shopping.

A portion of the proceeds go to support FIAF’s cultural and education programs.

Featured Activities

Wine & Kemia Reception

Friday, December 6, from 6–7:30pm

Get to know the people, products and stories behind the brands while enjoying Tunisian wines and kemia (selection of dips and bites) at a special reception and shopping experience.

Book Signings

  • Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly by Safwan Masri
    • Friday, December 6, from 6-6:30pm

      During The Arab Spring, Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution alone gave way to a peaceful transition to a functioning democracy. In Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly, Safwan Masri explores the factors that have shaped the country’s exceptional experience. He traces Tunisia’s history of reform in the realms of education, religion, and women’s rights, arguing that the seeds for today’s relatively liberal and democratic society were planted as far back as the middle of the nineteenth century.

      Executive Vice President for Global Centers and Global Development at Columbia University, Safwan M. Masri is also a senior research scholar at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs and is an honorary fellow of the Foreign Policy Association.

  • Discovering Tunisian Cuisine by Judith Dwan Hallet
    • All Weekend

      Meet Judith Dwan Hallet, author, videographer, and ethnographer, and learn about her new book Discovering Tunisian Cuisine.

      The newly released cookbook offers an authentic—and visually-rich—look at Tunisian cuisine through family recipes shared with Hallet by her co-authors Raoudha Guellali Ben Taarit and Hasna Trabelsi.

  • Tunisian Architecture with Stanley Ira Hallet
    • All Weekend

      Stanley Ira Hallet, architect and Former Dean of the School of Architecture at The Catholic University of America will sign copies of his books Évolution d’un habitat : le monde berbère du Sud tunisien and Les Mosquées de Djerba.

      Évolution d’un habitat: le monde Berbère du Sud tunisien documents a remarkable group of villages found in the mountains of Southern Tunisia where the Berbers many centuries ago sought refuge from the invading Arabs.

      Les Mosquées de Djerba documents the extraordinary white mosques that dot the landscape of Djerba, thought to be the mysterious island of the lotus-eaters in the tales of the Odyssey.

Tunisian Cooking Workshops for Kids

Saturday, December 7 at 11:30am & 1:15pm

Kids (ages 5–10) will learn to make Kaber Ellouz, mini almond-flavored sweets famous in Tunisia, in these 45-minute hands-on workshops led in English.

Please note that almonds will be used in the recipe.

Free! First-come first-served.

Featured Brands

Akam Glassware

In an atelier just minutes from the Mediterranean coast, AKAM produces handblown glassware in the tradition of ancient artisans. Founded in 2014, they are reviving and expanding the tradition of handblown glass in Tunisia. Applying contemporary designs to ancestral techniques, AKAM represents both the history of Tunisia and today’s vibrant community of artists and creatives.

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ANISSA AIDA

Raised in Paris and Tunisia, emerging designer Anissa Meddeb creates effortlessly chic clothing and accessories inspired by the intersection of North African culture and Eastern aesthetics. Designed in New York and produced in Tunisia, Meddeb’s looks invoke classic Arab silhouettes with an architectural edge.

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Artisans Solidaire Kasserine

Based in the Kasserine region of Tunisia along the Algerian border, this collective of mostly women artisans uses natural materials and ancestral techniques to create baskets, rugs and pottery imbued with local terroir. Their pieces are inspired by the patterns and shapes of the traditional Tunisian home updated for modern aesthetics.

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Baboucheschacha

Babouches, flat leather slippers with a pointed toe, are ubiquitous in Tunisian households, and recently the staple slip-on has jumped onto Western runways. Inspired by ancestral fashions, Tunis-based Baboucheschacha designs polished babouches that stay true to their sartorial roots while incorporating effortlessly into modern wardrobes.

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Fakher Baklouti

Third-generation artisan Fakher Baklouti inherited his craft from his father, who learned it from his father. The family business? Wood working, transforming Tunisian olive trees into rich amber bowls and platters that almost seem to glow. “It is our family heritage,” Baklouti says of his profession. “This is not simply a work that I am practicing with my hands. It’s a passion, a love story!”

Flaÿou

Created by Hella El Khiari and Thomas Egoumenides, Flaÿou is a Tunis-based integrative design studio that works in object, graphic and environmental design. Chich-Bich, which means backgammon in Tunisian Arabic, is Flaÿou’s collection of playful board games inspired by Egoumenides’ love of backgammon and the traditional pottery of the Sejnane region, where local artisans have worked with clay for more than 3,000 years.

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L'Odaites

Developed in Paris by three Tunisian sisters, L’ODAÏTÈS is skincare rooted in the Mediterranean. The brand sources active ingredients in the Tunisian garden, including dates, prickly pear and bitter orange oil. Use their creams, masks and serums a la carte, or pair them together for skincare regimen that will leave skin soothed and revitalized.

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Layla's Delicacies

Layla’s Delicacies creates delicious handmade Mediterranean treats to share with the world. Their delightful delicacies are unique pastry pieces perfect for gifting or for one’s own enjoyment. Shipped from New York, the treats are fresh, authentic, and handcrafted by the best artisans.

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Les Moulins Mahjoub

Olive cultivation is a millennia-old practice in Tunisia, where locally pressed oils are gaining prominence on the world stage. Carrying on that rich tradition is Les Moulins Mahjoub, a family-run producer of table olives, olive oils, spreads and sauces that has been farming in Tunisia for generations. Their award-winning products are made the slow way—with organic farming techniques, olives picked by hand, all-natural ingredients and the dedication of a family with deep Tunisian roots.

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Les Trois Chameaux

The creative force behind Les Trois Chameaux is Souheil Fitouri, a fifth-generation balgha maker who learned to craft the classic Tunisian slipper from his father, master balgha maker of the Tunis medina. Today, Les Trois Chameaux preserves Tunisia’s sartorial heritage and adds a dash of inspiration, working with young artisans and designers to adapt the traditional footwear to contemporary fashion and export it beyond the Mediterranean to Europe and the U.S.

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LYOUM

LYOUM means “today” in Tunisian Arabic, a name that pays tribute to the country’s post-revolution cultural moment. Sofiane and Claire Ben Chaabane created the prêt-à-porter clothing line in 2012 to celebrate Tunisia’s Mediterranean heart and offer an alternative to European imports. Today, LYOUM is best known for its locally made tops that honor Tunisian culinary traditions with clever phrases.

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Made by Tinja

Featured in Architectural Digest, Monocle, and Elle Decor France, this family-owned interior design studio collaborates with Tunisian craftsmen to create products that link past and future. Tinja calls the result “handcrafted modern,” designer furnishings anchored in ancient techniques.

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Marlo + Isaure

After meeting at a university in Switzerland, Marlo Guerry and Isaure Bouyssonie founded design studio Marlo & Isaure in 2013. In 2015, they relocated to Tunisia to work closely with their manufacturers and began collaborating with other favorite international designers to create a brand that feels as fresh as it does functional. Today, Marlo & Isaure produces furniture and home decor objects that add style to any abode and are intended for daily use.

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Moka Cioccolatah

With a background in interior design, Moka Cioccolatah founder and designer Myriam Fekih-Romdhan focuses on contemporary styles rooted in Tunisian culture and tradition. Inspired by living in Milan, she seeks to create the same passion around products “Made in Italy” for clothing, accessories and housewares designed and crafted in Tunisia.

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Nina L Bags

NINA.L. leather goods is the creation of Myriam Naili, a French-Tunisian designer whose career has spanned both countries. After studying interior design in Paris, Naili returned to Tunisia to launch her career. In 2014, she debuted NINA.L., a line of hand-crafted leather bags 100% made in Tunisia. Named for her childhood nickname, the brand is dedicated to wearable luxury, beautiful leatherwork and functional design that demands to be worn—and noticed.

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Samarkand

Named for an Uzbek city at cultural cross roads on the historic Silk Road, Samarkand is the work of Tunisian designer Thouraya Ouhada. Ouhada founded the brand in 2016, restoring furniture and accessories before expanding into the traditional slipper of Tunisia, the babouche. Today, Samarkand works with expert craftsman to make leather-soled babouches in contemporary silk and cotton prints that support animal rights by donating a portion of every sale to veterinary care for sick and abandoned creatures.

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Wines of Tunisia

Exclusive wines from award-winning Tunisian vineyards Domaine Neferis and Cave Ceptunes are now available in US for the first-time ever through Travis Wine Imports. Taste the wines during the cocktail reception on Friday, and place orders during the souk.

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