VALERIA COTONER:
PROTECT AND PROMOTE
CRAFTSMANSHIP

All the fabrics in this exclusive collection for Cristine Bedfor are hand-woven on looms in the city of Hyderabad in India, using techniques passed down from generation to generation, and the garments were made in Spain.

For this collaboration I was inspired by the colours of Cristine and Menorca. The reddish terracotta tone transports you to the hotel’s wonderful entrance, the yellow to its terraces and the summer sun, and the green to Menorca’s streets and vegetation. Stripes are a summer classic, featuring the Valeria Cotoner touch with blurred lines.

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Step 1- Drawing the pattern

The threads are placed on the loom and the pattern is then drawn on the thread. This process can be very laborious depending on the complexity of the pattern.

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Step 2- Preparing the threads

The dyes are prepared in earthenware tubs and all of them are natural and chemical free. Each colour is dyed separately. The more shades the print has, the more complicated and time consuming the process is. First, the threads are plunged into water to clean away any natural stains or impurities.

It is mixed with boiling water at 90 degrees and the threads are immersed and removed

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Step 3- Dyeing

Once the dye is ready, it is mixed with boiling water at 90 degrees and the threads are immersed and removed from the tub continuously for 30–45 minutes. The process is repeated for each colour that appears in the print, as only one colour can be dyed at a time. So as not to dye the parts of the fabric that have no colour, rubber strips are tied to the threads to cover said areas. These rubber strips are usually made from recycled bicycle tyres, since they are strong and do not allow the dye to seep through and because of their great flexibility.

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Step 4- Drying

Once the dyeing process is completed, the rubber strips are removed and the threads are hung up to dry in the sun. Depending on the temperature at the time, this step may take longer, especially in the monsoon season from July to August.

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Step 5- Weaving

First, the threads are placed on the loom one by one, which must be done very carefully by someone skilled, since each piece of fabric is composed of approximately 3,496 threads with a width of 1.5 cm. It takes approximately one whole day to place the threads on the loom. Finally, the weaving can begin. It takes between five and six days to weave 25 metres.

Keeping up her artisanal and sustainable spirit, Valeria Cotoner has designed an exclusive caftans collection for our friends.