The elegant dresses that thousands of Valencian women proudly wear, not only during Las Fallas, but at any festival or celebration, are special for many reasons. The symbolism is not the only thing that makes them special, preserving a centuries-old tradition, or their colourful designs of flowers. They are also a reminder of the historical importance of silk in Valencia.
The silk business flourished in Valencia between the 15th and 19th centuries, placing the city at the heart of one of the most important commercial and cultural routes in the world: the Silk Road between East and West. Nowadays, you can find traces of it in different parts of the city, and in traditions such as Valencian dress.
While silk fabrics are always preferred as far as the budget allows, it is now common to find dresses made from cotton or rayon fabrics. And only Valencia's Falleras Mayores, or those who can afford to invest several thousand euros in a dress, wear espolín, Valencia's finest silk adornment.
Espolín, which is a type of spun fabric, is a high-quality silk cloth, woven by hand using small shuttles to pass the threads that make up the patterns. Only three artisan espolín weavers remain in Valencia who continue to use traditional methods and wooden looms to create these authentic works of art: Compañia Valenciana de la Seda, Vives y Marí and Espolines de Garín, a company founded in 1820.
Visitors to the new Silk Factory Museum in Moncada, in the Garín area north of Valencia, can see for themselves how a silk thread is woven. The museum also exhibits looms, designs and samples of fabrics and clothing, and you can learn more about the history of this family business and the silk tradition in Valencia.
There are many shops specialising in traditional Fallas costumes, such as Amparo Fabra in the Ensanche district or Eduardo Cervera in Quatre Carreres, two benchmarks for the highest quality Valencian clothing. Although they don't work with silk, the Peris Roca jewellers are true masters of Valencian adornments and you can find highly original pieces at their shop at Bolsería 31, in the historic centre.
However, silk continues to be used not only in the traditional Valencian dresses but also by modern Valencian designers such as Francis Montesinos, who often make use of this delicate fabric. Vida y Milagros is a shop specialising in natural silk kimonos, combining Mediterranean style and oriental inspiration. At Ensedarte, the artisan Eva Escamilla sells beautiful hand-painted silk scarves and other silk items, and even workshops in which participants can paint their own silk scarf.
These are contemporary examples of the silk business in Valencia. In the Middle Ages, commercial transactions took place in the Lonja de la Seda (The Silk Exchange), a jewel of Gothic civil architecture recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visiting it is a key feature of the Valencia Silk Road, where you can follow the legacy of this trade in the city with a walking tour.
The route passes through the velluters neighbourhood (or El Pilar neighbourhood), where the master silk weavers who wove velvet (vellut in Valencian, hence its name) settled. At its peak in the 18th century, it is estimated that there were around 5,000 looms producing silk fabrics in the neighbourhood. The wealth and prestige of the velluters' guild can still be seen in the architecture, with examples such as the Tamarit Palace, a former silk workshop-house.
The Valencian silk industry declined in the 19th century with automation and the arrival of epidemics that affected silkworm rearing. Economic difficulties led to the silk workers' rebellion with a mutiny in 1856 demanding better wages. This early example of proletarian vindication is commemorated with fire every year, in the last weekend of January, with the Foguera del Motí des Velluters in the Plaza del Pilar.
The headquarters of the velluters' guild was established in the Colegio del Arte Mayor de la Seda, a beautiful 15th century building declared a national historic-artistic monument. Refurbished by the Hortensia Herrero Foundation, it now houses the Silk Museum. As well as admiring the colourful ceramic floors and frescoes inside, numerous documents relating to the guild can be seen here in its historical archive, as well as old looms and working tools. There is also no shortage of exquisite silk textiles and antique clothing.
The museum also delves into the history of silk production and trade in Valencia, from the introduction of silkworms and mulberry cultivation by the Arabs in the 8th century. From then on, the peri-urban orchards were covered with mulberry fields, and the peasants raised silkworms in andanas, special frames made of reeds, in their huts and farmhouses.
There are hardly any vestiges of this tradition left in the Valencian orchards, but in the Silk Museum you can see one of these andanas and witness a live demonstration of how the delicate silk filament is extracted from the cocoons. It was the humble beginning of a thread used to weave the most glorious era of Valencia.
