Talking Folk Craft and Heritage With KAT + MAOUCHE –Timeless Leather Designs, Crafted in Japan

Meet Tsuchiya Kaban friends Katen and Latif, owners and founders of Portland-based rug shop Kat + Maouche.

Latif in a pink shirt and blue jeans with a cap and blue sandals bends over a large, colorful patterned rug on the floor, surrounded by stacks of other rugs and textiles.

Beginnings of a Journey

Katen and Latif opened their Portland rug shop in 2014, offering authentic vintage Berber rugs sourced directly from the mountains and souks of Morocco. Their story began 12 years earlier in San Francisco, where Katen, a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley, met her neighbor Latif, originally from Algeria.

Not long after they started dating, they moved to Algeria together. Katen embraced life in a foreign land as they traveled through remote Berber mountain towns. Latif himself is Berber, part of an indigenous North African population representing 15% of Algeria.

Katen in a long olive-green garment and scarf stands in a brightly lit room with large windows, displaying colorful rugs, an old bicycle, and modern furniture.

Textiles That Carry History, Inspire Purpose

During their time in North Africa, they explored souks—local open-air markets—in Algeria and Morocco, drawn to the textiles they encountered. Before they knew it, they'd built a collection.

Each piece carried clues—the patterns, materials, whether woven from goat yarn or textile scraps—telling them who made it, where they were made, and what intentions it carries. Piecing together these stories became their fascination, then their purpose: sharing the lives of Berber people and their predominantly female weavers through rugs.

Because of these personal experiences getting to know these textiles, Katen and Maouche take utmost care to preserve each rug's quality and honor the intentions of the makers who crafted them. "For us, the most important thing is having them be seen for what they truly are—their provenance."

Katen in a long gray dress and scarf holds a Tsuchiya Kaban's Red Randoseru, looking at it, while Latif in a pink shirt and cap stands beside her, both surrounded by tall stacks of colorful rugs and tapestries.

Katen with curly hair, wearing a long dress and a red leather backpack, leans on a stack of colorful rugs and smiles.

Beauty to Behold Every Day

To their makers, these rugs are functional household items—bed mats, tent entrance rugs, multi-purpose pieces—and yet they're intricate and beautiful.

This appreciation for everyday objects as masterful works of art is what drew Katen and Latif to Tsuchiya Kaban's Randoseru backpacks. Originally a design imported to Japan from Dutch military bags, then adapted as a standard school bag in the 1950s, and now enjoyed by global fans today, the Randoseru's story piqued their interest.

They saw a reflection of their own values: reverence for handmade craft, everyday objects with stories, and functional pieces that deepen with time.

Theree colour of Tsuchiya Kaban's Randoseru on a colorful rug.

Latif in a pink shirt holding a Tsuchiya Kaban's blue Randoseru.

Today, whether they're sourcing rugs in Morocco or navigating Portland with their Randoseru backpacks, Katen and Latif live by the same principle: infusing the everyday with the beauty of handmade craft, and sharing the stories each piece has traveled far to tell.