Núria Monllau has inherited her passion for fabrics and her entrepreneurial vision from her parents, who founded the Cimarron jean firm. It was this legacy of hers that made her see Morocco with a very different look from the rest of the tourists. “I spent hours and hours visiting rug and blanket stores, learning to know the product at its origin, discovering the stories and life of its artisans,” recalls the entrepreneur.
Monllau returned from his trip to Morocco with the dream of selling rugs and blankets handwoven by Berber women from the heart of the Atlas, following an artisan tradition that is passed down from generation to generation and in which the dyes are obtained directly from nature. . She achieved her dream, which she named Shuia-Shuia, but things don't always go the way you want. The entrepreneur could not find a place for her rugs in the market. However, instead of giving up, she decided to reuse the carpet fabric that she couldn't sell to make shoes.
The resulting original shoes rose to fame thanks to the aristocrat Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, who popularized them among her followers on social networks. "I will be eternally grateful," says the entrepreneur. Little by little, which is what shuia shuia means in Arabic, the firm's rugs, blankets and shoes have been gaining a foothold in the market.
Today, the founder no longer uses the rugs she can't sell for her shoes, but she does use old rug fabric. On the other hand, she also makes raffia shoes: "It takes three days to make a pair of raffia shoes," says Monllau. The businesswoman, who has established the company's headquarters in Terrassa, personally hires the Berber women whom she employs, who are already more than 20.
Shuia-Shuia markets through the firm's website, but also through physical stores in Spain and Morocco. Sales have multiplied in the last year, but Monllau points out that his goal is not to grow much more, but to go little by little, in the same way that his rugs and shoes are manufactured.
