Costa Nova’s Marrakesh was designed by famed French florist Christian Tortu, inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s Les Jardins de Majorelle, the couturier’s botanical garden in Marrakesh that features the warm tones of sandy walls, vibrant spice colors found in bustling markets, and the rich hues of traditional fabrics, a collection with a keen eye to sustainability and Moroccan mystique.
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This isn't Christian Tortu's first collection for Costa Nova, the dinnerware producer founded in 1998 in a small Portuguese fishing village, and known for its innovative and sustainable stoneware. In 2017, Tortu, who revolutionized the florist trade by adding fruit and vegetables to incredible floral compositions, debuted Riviera, mixing shapes and colors found in the Riviera’s landscape, and introducing his signature botanical-shaped pieces. Until then, all Costa Nova collections were designed in house, but Tortu’s aesthetic was a natural fit. Costa Nova founder/CEO Miguel Casal says Riviera’s success “pushed the collaboration to the next step.” Notes the exec: “The briefing from our side was quite open. The idea was to develop something innovative, nature inspired, and appealing for retail and hospitality.” Casal loved the idea of a Moroccan-inspired collection. “We were seduced by the Majorelle Garden oasis where Matisse’s colors mix with those of nature,” he says. “Our team immediately started to gather information: shapes, developing glazes, etc. The cooperation between Christian and our design team and laboratory was fundamental. There was a lot of back and forth with samples and color swatches. I’m not a designer, but I can recognize a winner when I see one, and with this one, I had no doubts.”
This one was Marrakesh, which, according to U.S. general manager Matt Hullfish, “accomplishes two main goals for our brand: commitment to sustainability and innovation.” Says Hullfish, who joined Casafina in 2016, one year before Casal bought the company creating the Casafina and Costa Nova umbrella: “The collection, launched in January 2024, is unique and inspired by Moroccan markets and the Marrakesh Majorelle Garden. It’s all Miguel’s vision: an ideal blend of left brain and right brain. He’s really good at both, a design visionary always looking down the road. I’m running our business for today while he’s working on what will sell three years from now. What I love about our brand is it’s not ‘me too stuff’. There’s nothing like Marrakesh out there, with covered bowls, striking colors, and an Yves Saint Laurent palatial inspiration. It came together really well.” Adds Casal: “Developing new shapes and fine-tuning a new collection is always a time-consuming process; from concept validation to the presentation took 12 months.” For Hullfish, that was a pretty speedy turnaround. “Although the process still takes time,” he says, “we’re able to move faster than others because we’re vertically integrated; we do everything in house, from molds to clays to production. That’s part of our brand DNA: European quality at fantastic values because we produce everything at our own factory.”
Marrakesh is the brand’s largest initial launch, with 46 SKUs over five colors — sable blanc (white); eucalyptus (green); ciel (bright blue); cumin (orange); and cannelle (brown). “The colors and shapes are clearly inspired by nature and the stunning gardens and art,” says Casal. “We had a huge amount of samples to choose from and had to, unfortunately, eliminate some to keep the collection with a reasonable number of items. Some of them are really nice though and, hopefully, will see the light in the next seasons. The collections are targeted to both retail and hospitality which explains why the collection is so extensive.” The considerable assortments provide a real mix and match feel, with speckled glazes and sandy, unglazed textures, scalloped edges, leaf-shaped trays, and covered bowls; not all shapes are available in all colors – white and green sport the most SKUs and work best together. “Those two colors are the heart of the collection,” cues Hullfish. “We have a lab in our factory, and we’re constantly experimenting with glazes and techniques. We tested so many color choices. Our reactive glazes are fantastic; they give each piece so much interest because they all look different, which is the beauty of a reactive glaze.” Hullfish says the breadth of the collection helps make Marrakesh a standout. “We have such a variety and nice blend, allowing for mix and match in colors and shapes. We’re not about one collection looking all the same. That’s just not how people live or want to set the table.” The raw clay on the bottom of the pasta bowls, for instance, also adds differentiation and amplifies that Moroccan aesthetic. The collection includes serving bowls, pitchers, leaf trays, and tiered metal holders in gold (a first for Costa Nova), ranging from an $11.75 dipping dish to a $135.50 leaf platter. “This is the most innovative collection on the market,” Hullfish enthuses, “inviting diners into a sensory journey.”
That sensory journey is partly thanks to Costa Nova’s sustainability mission, which focuses on reducing the environmental impact of tableware production. To that end, they opened the Ecogres factory in Aveiro (a picturesque city on the west coast of Portugal set alongside a lagoon distinguished by its canals); one of the most energy-efficient industrial facilities in the world. Costa Nova partnered with the University of Aveiro to develop a new raw material by collecting, recycling, and reusing clays and glazes from its own operations as well as other waste materials from nearby industries. Ecogres products are fired at a reduced temperature (2.6% lower than the normal firing process), which results in less energy consumption and fewer CO2 emissions. “Our sustainability level improved greatly with the development of the Ecogres process,” affirms Casal, “and the Ecogres body was a perfect match for Marrakesh; the texture and sandy color blends with the concept.”
Hullfish is bullish on this development. “Marrakesh isn’t just an aesthetic choice,” he says. “It’s an invitation to showcase your dedication to sustainability. This is revolutionary for our industry. We’re keeping waste from landfills, which up to a few years ago wasn’t done in our industry. For many years I worked for a cast aluminum company where we were able to melt down and recycle the material. But you couldn’t do that with clay; now you can. We worked for years to come out with a soft neutral color and this is the first time we’re using it. The Ecogres clay, which is brown, enhances Marrakesh’s look. This collection takes Ecogres to a new level and that is very appealing to customers, particularly outside the U.S.”
That’s critical since Costa Nova exports to 60 countries. But as the U.S. is the brand’s top market, the reception here is significant. “We’ve had very good feedback here,” says Casal. “This is always a good sign since this market is very selective.” The company’s global marketing has powered up, reflected in promotional materials, like the lifestyle images shown on these pages. Casal agrees. “Our team found the ideal location in the south of Portugal with a Mediterranean landscape that was the perfect frame for the collection. The house was from a recognized architect, and our photographer captured the beauty and simplicity that we like so much.” Hullfish adds: “I’d stack our marketing and photography up against any in the industry. It’s top notch.” Well, top notch is definitely the bar that’s been set. And when you’re shooting for the moon being pleased with the results is a reward unto itself. “We delivered something new to the market that was not so easy to innovate,” says chief exec Casal. “And for that I am very satisfied.”