Are Moroccan leather goods worth buying?

Leather is one of the best-value things you can buy in Morocco, and Fes is the heart of it — the Chouara tannery has been dyeing hides in those stone vats since medieval times. You'll get a sprig of mint at the tannery viewpoint to hold against your nose, because the smell of the dye pits is genuinely powerful, but that same process produces beautiful, supple leather at a fraction of European prices. Babouches, handbags, satchels, belts, poufs and jackets are all worth a look.

How I judge a piece: smell it first — real vegetable-tanned leather smells warm and leathery, while a sharp chemical or plastic smell means corrected or bonded leather. Bend it; good leather creases and recovers, cheap stuff cracks or feels like cardboard. Check the stitching is even and the edges are finished, and rub a damp tissue on a hidden spot — if a lot of dye comes off, the colour will end up on your clothes. For a jacket, try it on properly and check the lining and zips, because the leather can be lovely while the construction is rushed.

My favourite practical buy is a leather pouf: buy the cover unstuffed (they'll happily sell it flat), pack it in your case, and stuff it with old clothes or a beanbag insert at home — it travels beautifully and is a fraction of homeware-store prices. Rough numbers, all negotiable: babouches 80–200 MAD, a good shoulder bag 250–700 MAD, a pouf cover 250–500 MAD, a real leather jacket anywhere from 800 MAD for simple up to a few thousand for a fitted, well-made one.

Two honest caveats. First, 'genuine leather' is said about everything, and there's plenty of split or bonded leather sold as full-grain — your nose and the bend test are better guides than their word. Second, bargain confidently here; leather has a big markup and the opening price in a Fes or Marrakech souk is usually two to three times the real one. Start low, be friendly, and walk if you need to.