Ibiza’s crafts talk about the materials, trades and needs that marked the islanders’ lifestyles until mid 20th century. For generations, esparto, pottery, wood, leather and natural fibres shaped everyday objects and they’re still found to this day in workshops and fairs. Read on to find out what these special items are and where to buy them.
Local fiestas are a good place to learn about Ibiza’s traditional side, including its traditional arts and crafts, as they usually set up craft exhibitions during the festivities where we can admire how they’re made, talk to the artisans and buy locally-made creations.
What are Ibiza’s traditional crafts?
Ibiza’s traditional crafts encompass very diverse trades which emerged to cover the needs of peasants or payeses –as they’re called in Ibiza. Thanks to the work of expert artisans who uphold the tradition out of a love for ancient crafts, we can still admire and buy these unique items while also learning from the masters and apply their techniques to modern craftwork.
The official register of Ibizan Crafts (Artesanía de Ibiza) lists professionals who specialise in different arts and crafts and have earned the title of masters in the trades of shoemaking, basketry, pottery, jewellery, woodwork or fabrics. You can find them on the Artesanía de Ibiza website (Ibiza’s Arts and Crafts).
Ibizan espardenyes
Espardenyes eivissenques refer to the island’s traditional footwear and are closely related to the craft of esparto weaving. The hand-crafting of these shoes is one of the trades that best illustrates the relationship between craftsmanship and country life in Ibiza. If you get the chance to watch a master craftsperson work during a fair or, for example, at the Craft Market of Sant Rafel, we suggest you stop to ask about the process and then you’ll learn how to tell apart handmade shoes from industrial ones.
Basketry and esparto weaving
Besides the espardenyes, esparto weaving produced a vast range of items that women, peasants and fishermen of yesteryear would use in their everyday life, like baskets, Moses baskets and containers. Today they are mostly used for decoration and fashion but they are just as precious as in the past as weaving plant fibres requires technical know-how that is part of Ibiza’s craft heritage.
Ibizan pottery
This craft became so big in Ibiza that Sant Rafel earned the label of “Area of Craft Interest”. Nowadays, the village has lost practically all its pottery workshops but you can still visit a few in the area, like Can Kinoto and Sa Teulera. In workshops and on market stalls you can find utensils, ornamental items and modern creations influenced by the local culture. If you’d like to buy pottery, it’s important to pay attention to the details so you can tell apart the pieces that are handmade by one of the island’s master craftspeople from Ibiza-inspired souvenirs made elsewhere. You can check which potters are qualified master craftspersons on the Artesanía de Ibiza website (Ibizan Arts and Crafts).
Woodwork, leatherwork, clothing and other trades
Cotton and linen creations are another of Ibiza’s traditional crafts that are closely linked to women’s work of old and gave birth to the Adlib Fashion launched in the early 70s by the Yugoslav princess Smilja Mihailovitch. This includes the trades of passementerie, embroidery, weaving and dressmaking.
Other Ibizan crafts are linked to woodwork, leatherwork and we mustn’t forget, goldsmithing, that produced the jewellery worn with traditional costumes called emprendeda, one of the most significant ethnographic elements of Ibizan culture. And there are now other trades for which experts earn the title of master craftsperson, such as liqueur makers, beekeepers, soap makers and herbalists.
Where to buy traditional crafts in Ibiza
You have two especially interesting options to buy crafts in Ibiza: browsing the summer street markets or checking the events calendar for fairs and local fiestas. The first option is easy to fit into your summer holiday as you’ll find many outdoor and indoor markets set up in the main villages and holiday towns in Ibiza during the summer.
The second one will depend on when you’re on the island, but if you’re lucky to get to one of these events it will bring you closer to the background of these trades that were part of the Ibizan lifestyle. Regardless of when you’re here, remember to check the origin of each item to make sure it was indeed handmade locally because not everything sold in a craft market is necessarily from Ibiza.
Craft markets open in the summer
If you’re interested in Ibiza’s arts and crafts, take note of these five markets and include at least one of them in your holiday plans.
- Sant Rafel: during the summer months, the village sets up a showcase for crafts called Muestra Artesanal de Sant Rafel every Thursday from 7.30pm to 11pm. This market displays different crafts worth a look but we also suggest you make the most of this visit by strolling through the village and having dinner at one of its popular restaurants.
- Santa Gertrudis: on Fridays, visit this quaint village in the middle of the island and admire the craftsmanship of the masters who are there from 7pm until midnight. You will find jewellery, leather, wood, clothing and other items.
- Sant Josep: until the end of October, on Saturday mornings you’ll find artisan products at Sant Josep Market with stalls selling organic produce and traditional and/or local products. A great stop to add to a beach day on the south-western coast of Ibiza.
- Sant Joan: all-year-round, Sundays mornings are for the market stalls in Sant Joan that offer a wide range of traditionally-made products.
Fairs, local fiestas and street markets
During the summer months, the local fiestas of Sant Antoni, Sant Llorenç, Cala Llonga, Es Cubells and Es Canar are a fantastic opportunity to see displays of crafts made by expert masters which you can buy or simply browse.
Another good time to look at crafts is the fairs, like the Medieval fair called Eivissa Medieval (Ibiza, May), the fishing fair called Feria Marinera Medieval (Sant Antoni, September) or the crafts fair called Viu l’Artesania (Ibiza, August and September). Lastly, another great place to find crafts made in Ibiza is the flea market of Las Dalias.
Wherever you go, check this link to see all the craftspeople qualified as masters by the regional government (Consell d’Eivissa). Then you can make sure you’re buying authentic locally handmade craftwork.
