El Pelut: the Ibiza-based design atelier loved by Loewe

‘Esther [de Munnik] and I have known each other for a long time,’ says co-founder Sonya Groot. ‘We used to work together for interior design magazines in Holland and we were both stylists. We became close friends and always stayed in touch, sharing our love for design and our interest in traditional handicrafts.’ And so begins the story of El Pelut, the slow fashion and artisan design atelier on the road to San Jose that has gained international acclaim for one product in particular – their intricately woven and brightly coloured fisherman’s lamps. ‘We’ve travelled the world for years searching for handmade treasures,’ says Sonya. ‘We shot two real fishermen's lamps once that had been made in the sixties or seventies and we fell in love with them. We recreated black and white ones first and then we began to make more variations of them. Everywhere we went they were picked up and the colour range kept growing. We make bespoke pieces too, such as the ones for Loewe. The product has a life of its own! It has become something of a signature for us.’

The lamps are made entirely by hand by a collective of female artisans in India. This story of collaborate craftsmanship runs through El Pelut’s small but beautifully formed collection of dresses, crocheted cardigans and woven accessories. The kaftan-style dresses – made from silk linen – are hand woven and embroidered by a women’s collective in Jodhpur. The embroidery alone takes days to complete and means that no two dresses are the same. ‘The atelier is quite special,’ says Esther. ‘The women can bring their children, they are working outside of the family home, which can be quite rare for married women in this part of India, and they are paid a good wage that goes directly to them. It’s an empowering situation and we feel very proud to support these incredible craftspeople.’ In a world where fast fashion is the norm, El Pelut are paving the way for a very different future for design.