How one of Mallorca's typical textiles has its origins in the other side of the world
Mallorcan roba de llengües clothes. Photos from Illes Balears, Von Sophie Mono, Manolo Yllera and Philippe Degroote, and the artisan shop Teixits Riera (who have been doing this job for 125 years!).
Roba de llengües is a traditional artesan textile from the Mallorca. Present in Mallorca since the 18th century, it is very widespread in Mallorcan homes since the 19th century and it has become an icon of the island's culture.
The cotton and line thread is dyed before weaving it, in the way that when it's weaved together the dyed and not dyed parts of the thread come together in diffused wavy shapes.
This technique has its origins in South East Asia, where it is called ikat (meaning "to bind" in Malayo-Polynesian languages). Later, it also appeared in Central Asia (I see some sources say it was spread through the Silk Road and some saying it appeared independently). Either way, Mallorca's roba de llengües is believed to have derived from the South East Asian techniques which would have arrived to Europe through the Silk Road, too.
Here's some examples of the beautiful clothes in Asia:
T'nalak ("dream cloth") ikat from the Tboli people, Philippines. Photos by USAID and Nikka Cunom.
East Sumba island, Indonesia. Photo from Authentic Indonesia.
It's always interesting to see the connections between parts of the world that are so far away!
