At five years old Karim Adduchi migrated with his family from Morocco to Spain. Lost in translation, he stopped speaking, and only expressed himself in drawings. Now, Adduchi is an artist and fashion designer. He co-founded The World Makers Foundation to support migrant and refugee artisans.
Karim Adduchi is an illustrator and fashion designer who grew up in the mountains of Imzouren, Morocco. He moved to Spain and completed an art education at the University of Barcelona. And then moved to Amsterdam to further his education. Following an urge to express through fashion, he decided to showcase his personal story and his heritage in a transparent way. After showing his first collection , he received much attention from the press, and his story became an example of self-expression and globalization. A year later he was asked to open Amsterdam Fashion Week.
The success of his show led him to have another in tribute to the Syrian refugees, and to give them the same opportunity of creative expression. That same year Forbes Europe and Forbes Middle East included him in their 30 under 30 list, as one of the most influential designers to watch. He was also honoured with the Amsterdam Culture Business Award as a Moroccan designer in Europe showcasing the bridges between Arab and Western cultures, his fashion was bringing a new approach that had never seen before. That success trickled into him being asked to join the official program of Paris Fashion Week AW 19/20 with his first ever Ready-To-Wear collection. The collection, titled “Maktub” tells the story of destiny using Moroccan fabrics, embroideries, prints and designs. Karim Adduchi made history being the First Moroccan in many fields. The story of Karim Adduchi and his designs is not just his anymore, it belongs to everyone searching for a way of drowning out the silence of languages and cultures that do not understand them.
Karim Adduchi & The Worldmakers
In 2017 Karim Adduchi and Ann Cassano worked together on a project to engage refugee and migrant artisans on Karim’s new collection ‘She Has 99 Names.’ Noticing the particular strengths and challenges of this group, we decided to take the project further.
The result is The World Makers Foundation. “We support refugee and migrant artisans, building upon the creativity and heritage they bring with them, and provide a platform for their skills. We collaborate with local, established artists and designers, as well as with cultural institutions. We work with social designers and systemic-change practitioners, using fashion as a means to connect people and build community.”
Initiated during the 2020 lockdown, Adduchi and the World Makers felt it their duty to provide people with joy and colour. People received a cotton fabric with a unique, hand-made drawing by Adduchi, to be embroidered at home. Then, upon receiving the finished embroidered works, they were stitched together, fashioning the separate pieces into a singular “Social Fabric.” Those who joined were people from different cultural backgrounds and all age groups. Family members of different generation stitched together and shared stories about fabrics made by grandparents long ago. Friends worked together on the same embroidery, and neighbours passed along their fabric from one house to another.
The Worldmakers & Global Storytellers
We are honoured that Adduchi and the WorldMakers approached us for a special Cup of Stories series. This as a keepsake of the fantastic project. Besides a story, on the inside you will find an illustration by Adduchi, reminding us of connection, resilience and the importance of stories.

Want to see more of Karim?
> Instagram: @karimadduchi or @theworldmakersfoundation
> Website: www.karimadduchi.com