Mallorcan Cloth

This cloth is believed to have come from the East but the island nature of Mallorca helped to assimilate it into its local culture. In fact, the popular eastern “Kyats” are very similar to the Mallorcan tongue cloth. It is a hand-dyed fabric with diffused, broken patterns of very bright, varied colours.
Mallorcan cloth is mainly made from linen and cotton, although occasionally they are made from silk and linen. The cloth is used to make all kinds of products: towels, table linen, curtains, upholstery for rocking chairs, serviettes, etc. Moreover, is very resistant to wear.

The first step to make the cloth is to treat the thread. The creative process begins later with the weaving of the cloth. To make or weave the cloth the weaver uses rubber to prevent certain areas of the cloth from absorbing the dye. These areas will later form the patterns of the cloth. Thus the cloth is completely dyed except the marks that form the stripes or tongue-like patterns which give name to the cloth: “roba de llengües”. It is a laborious handcrafted process because after dyeing the cloth, it must be left to dry. The threads are dyed in batches leaving what will become the irregular patterns undyed to draw the shape of the pattern. Sometimes, depending on the manufacturer, the threads are dyed individually. This does not compromise the excellent quality of the cloth, which is precisely what most artisans want to offer their customers, even though this might result in the price being a bit higher. Once the cloth is ready for the next stage, it is plated and wound onto a roller. It is now ready to put into the loom, which is the end of the process.

Tradition, design and quality are the basic premises of the production of this cloth, which is still made using traditional techniques and methods. In fact, very often the workshops, factories and artisans weaving this cloth use century-old looms. Despite the passing of time and the modernization of the industry, Mallorcan cloth is still very present and is part of the traditional Mallorcan houses, in particular in the typical stately houses. These houses have their own style and character, which is part of the characteristic island culture of Mallorca. In traditional Mallorcan houses it is very typical to use linen cloth embellished with embroidery and borders. Mallorcan cloth decorates the most typical houses (“possessions” in Catalan). The production of cloth is a 50-year old tradition in municipalities like Santa Maria del Camí or Pollença.

Artesanía Textil Bujosa is a brand that produces Mallorcan clothes. Their workshop is located in Santa María del Camí and offers a variety of top quality products. Guillermo Bujosa is the owner of the workshop that he inherited from his father and that he will now pass on to his son, so that he continues with the tradition and family trade. His father founded the workshop in 1949. Today they continue to produce cloth for all kinds of home products both for the most traditional and modern houses. There are over 200 different patterns on the market. You can choose the colour of the pattern that best matches your home decorations.

Other companies and workshops that produce Mallorcan cloth are “ca n’Oliver” in Sóller and “Teixits Riera”, which has a workshop in Lloseta.