Before a new brand is welcomed into the Amanvida family, we always do extensive research

This year we travelled to Barcelona to visit the weaving mill Teixidors in the Terrassa district. How does production occur? Where do the resources and materials come from? What is the company’s philosophy? Only when we are completely satisfied we add it to our product range and present it to you. Sometimes we have the opportunity to do further research and to visit the company and their work environment. Last year Amanvida visited Green People and this year we travelled to Barcelona to visit the weaving mill Teixidors.


"I know that it would be very difficult for me to work somewhere else. I feel calm here and like I am part of the group", says Alfonso, who has been working for more than 30 years at Teixidors.

And we were very pleasantly surprised! We already knew that Teixidors was a sheltered workplace. That each weaver receives a 3 year training, we also knew. And that Teixidors produces beautiful and soft woven fabrics, we had already felt with our own hands. What we did not know was how happy and grateful the employees are to be working there, and how laborious and time consuming non-mechanized weaving really is. It is an art!

The weavers at Teixidors are a close-knit family

There is a strong family bond in the Teixidors workshop. Everyone is closely involved with everyone. There are even some married couples who met each other in the Teixidors workshop and celebrated their marriage with their colleagues.

Teixidors invests in a multitude of ways in their employees. It takes up to three years to train a weaver. Everyone is taught each step of the weaving process – from the spinning and threading of the yarn, to operating the pedals of the loom and the slide lathe. Each step must be done precisely, so that there are no differences in the woven fabrics. And the larger the loom, the harder and heavier it becomes to work with. It became clear very quickly to us that weaving is a difficult and strenuous craft.

 

Developing social skills

Learning a trade occurs together with the development of social skills. The preparation of a loom, for example, means closely working together with two other weavers for two days. The staff will be given weekly counselling from a psychiatrist and every day a social worker comes by to help where needed.

Proud weavers

The concept of Teixidors appears to be working positively, because everyone feels at ease. Every weaver greets us with a proud smile. In the early years of Teixidors, only one person left the Teixidors workshop. This was because he wanted to become a gardener for the only other social project in Terrassa.

Teixidors for authenticity and quality

It is more than the weavers alone that make Teixidors special. The looms and the materials used are exceptional. Each piece from Teixidors is made with an authentic loom that has been assembled in the workshop with wood. With authentic we mean that the looms are like they used to be before the industrial revolution. A weaver from back then would immediately know how to operate the looms at Teixidors. There is no need for electricity.


No ecological footprint and a lot of authenticity

The looms work because of the interaction with the weaver that operates it. This does not only mean there is no ecological footprint, but also authenticity: the weaver decides what happens and how quickly it happens. Each weaver pours a little of his soul into the woven fabrics. Every creation from Teixidors is beautiful and natural. No synthetic materials. Amanvida has also decided to only take up the Ecological Collection in our product range because it is the only collection which is completely ecological. It is made of wool that is 100% ecological and traceable, both the sheep’s wool and the cashmere wool. And this we find extremely important.

In the video below Manu van Macomerinos tells the story of his sheep.


The woven fabrics you buy from Teixidors are unique and handmade

The Teixidors social project is well-known in the Terrassa region. There is a waiting list to work at the weaving mill. For this reason, Teixidors is looking for a larger complex. By purchasing a piece from Teixidors, you are supporting the social work done by the weaving mill. Moreover, you buy a unique piece every time; each woven fabric produced is made by hand from beginning till end and is by definition the only ‘copy’ in the world.

Discover the Teixidors home textiles available at Amanvida and meet the Teixidors team: