Mantas Ezcaray

Spain

Mantas Ezcaray was founded by Cecilio Valgañón in Ezcaray, a small town in the La Rioja region of northern Spain, in 1930, when the region was still a center for master carders, shearers, dyers and weavers – a tradition and know-how preserved in the region since the 15th century. Today, Mantas Ezcaray is the last remaining manufacturer. Its traditional skills in washing and dying the wool and in the finish are passed on from one generation to the next. Currently the four sons of Cecilio Valgañón are leading the business and work with their sons and daughters to ensure continuity to weaving the best mohair and wool in the most natural way.

Philosophy

Taking pride in their heritage and know-how, Mantas Ezcaray’s expert crafts(wo)men only work with the highest quality natural fibres. Mechanization is only a small part of a process that continues to be eminently manual, imbued with patience and thoroughness. To this day, and in line with long-standing, traditional techniques, Mantas Ezcaray’s crafts(wo)men continue to manually wash, dye, weave and brush wool, proudly preserving the past generation’s know-how. King Felipe VI has honoured Mantas Ezcaray for its exemplary product.

How it is made

The Town of Ezcaray

Ezcaray is a small town in the Upper Oja Valley in northern Spain. Surrounded by mountains, forests and abundant water, it has been a reference in the textile sector for centuries.
The Angora Goat

Mohair is the wool from an angora goat and regarded as one of the most luxurious fibres in the world. It is characterized by and renowned for its outstanding smoothness, elasticity and durability; and its whiteness, glossy sheen and silkiness allow achieving vivid, bright colours.
Spinning

After the angora goats are sheared, the wool goes through an initial was hand is then combed and transformed into the soft, luxurious mohair "top". It is then spun, first into thicker and then finer yarn. The quality of the end product largely depends on this step and Mantas Ezcaray has safeguarded traditional spinning methods, which give their mohair a unique exquisiteness.
Cleaning

Once the wool is spun, it then goes through a cleaning, first in a cold bath, then in a hot bath from the waters of the clear river that runs alongside Mantas Ezcaray’s factory. The water in the region is perfect for textile cleaning and dyeing, which is one of the reasons there used to be many factories in the past.
Dyeing

The yarn is hank dyed, which is a very time consuming process in which colour penetration is maximised by dipping the fibre several times for periods of 48 hours in the dye before fixing it through steam. This method allows the yarn not only to achieve more vivid, bright and rich colours but also to retain a softer, loftier feel.
Air-Drying & Repose

The wool dries hanging on wooden sticks. The constant humidity of the Upper Oja Valley is good for the mohair and the slow natural process of air-drying adds to its quality. It then reposes before winding.
Winding

To prepare the weaving of the mohair, it is first winded on bobbins. This step needs to be done slowly and with care so as not to disturb the sleeping fibres essential for the end product’s fluffy and cosiness.
Warping & Tying

To make the mohair fabric, the yarn is warped, creating the lengthwise part of the fabric and the fringes, and then tied. Tying alone takes about two hours for one piece of fabric. If the crafts(wo)man makes a mistake during this step, the entire cloth needs to be undone, therefore, requiring incessant concentration and attention to every detail.
Weaving

The master crafts(wo)men use pick a pick looms from the 18th century to weave the mohair. These looms are originally mechanic but Mantas Ezcaray reconverted them into manual looms in order to be able to make any texture and idea they have in mind.
Quality control

To guarantee a perfect final mohair product, rigorous quality control is an essential step of the process. For example, if a yarn broke during weaving, it is manually repaired during quality control.
Finishing

Each mohair piece is finished by brushing it with natural teasels. This is another step in the process that sets Mantas Ezcaray apart from almost all other producers, who use metal teasels. Working with natural teasels makes the process a lot more complicated but yields more refined results to raise the "nap". Records indicate that in ancient Egypt mohair cloth was combed with natural teasels for the cloth worn by the pharaohs.
The Final Brush Stroke

To give them their fluffiness, the woven mohair is manually brushed, in line with traditions that go back to the 15th century. With extreme care, the crafts(wo)men gently coax the mohair to ease out tangle and create a soft and airy fabric.