How and where are molas made?
Each mola is conceived and made by one woman using a process called reverse appliqué, a difficult fabric layering technique that requires imagination, patience and extraordinary stitching skills. Mola designs reflect the natural environment of the Kuna, including animals, local vegetation and the shapes of Caribbean coral reefs.
The molas we sell are made by an isolated Kuna community of 500 families in the Uraba region of northern Colombia. The making of molas is an important and continual task in traditional Kuna life. Each mola may take up to five weeks to complete, and include as many as 1 million hand stitches. When a new pair is completed, the women unstitch the old molas from their blouses to make room for the new ones, and it is only these worn molas that are sold for commerce. It is important to emphasise that Kuna women in Colombia only make molas for themselves, not for tourists or mass production. All our molas are bought directly from the community by a textile cooperative of seven people in Bogotá. Kuna women determine the value of each piece according to the mola's originality and degree of elaboration. |
