The Garín factory, two centuries of artisan tradition

València, Mar 16 (EFE) .- The looms of the Garín de Moncada factory, founded in 1820 and one of the oldest in Spain, continue to craft one of the most prized silk fabrics, the espolín, which decorated palaces, dressed high ecclesiastical positions and today is a claim of prestige in the Fallas.

The silk fabric receives the name of the tool with which it is woven, the spine, a small wooden shuttle with which the elaboration process is carried out, and with the singularity besides that at the same time that the base fabric is made the drawing of the fabric is made.

To create the thirteen meters of fabric of a fallera suit, up to three months of work are required, made in jaquard looms, with about two hundred years old.

In addition, the same system of perforated cardboard cards is used to weave pattern patterns on the fabric, a real gem in this material, which can reach a price of up to 1,500 euros per meter.

Despite the various crises that have affected the sector throughout history, the Garín factory has maintained its activity especially thanks to the claim for traditional regional clothing, mainly Valencian.

The manager of the company, Elena Ribes, descendant of Mariano Garín, founder of the company and maestro sedero, reminds EFE that at the time of the silk boom there were more than 3,000 looms in Valencia.

It was in these years, at the beginning of the 19th century, when Mariano Garín left the Colegio de Arte Mayor de la seda, which became a master sedero and created his first company dedicated to this tradition in the Valencian capital, which he expanded with a branch in the nearby town of Moncada, which is still active today.

The first works of Garín were for the Church, the so-called fabrics for chasubles, which reduced production with the Second Vatican Council, which called for austerity, and also for upholstering the walls of palaces with silk cloth, and the fabric was recognized in exhibitions universal

The factory preserves the original patterns, the technical cardboard letters that use the binary system that was later used in the first computers, and eleven jaquard looms in which the silk fabrics continue to be elaborated in an artisanal way, without any type of mechanization. destined mainly to regional costumes, but also to decoration of churches and religious images.

This year marks the centenary of its flagship design, the "Valencia", with which Pepita Samper paraded in the first competition of the contest "Miss Spain", antecedent of "Miss Spain", held in 1929, which set a precedent for since then become a claim of prestige among the major falleras.

In the year 2000, the València City Council decided to present the spine of the presentation to the major faller, so that regardless of their economic situation they could wear this fabric in their costumes, until then reserved for families with more purchasing power, and it was elaborated a specific drawing.

The factory preserves more than 7,000 original inventoried pieces, including tools, cartons, patterns and machinery, and since 1998 its managers are working on an exhibition project that allows "an industry that runs out, and we believe unrepeatable, is not lost", says Ribes .

The activity of the factory is still managed by the Garín family, but both the building and its contents are owned by the City of Moncada.

In fact, its mayor, Amparo Orts, has confirmed to EFE that they are already finalizing the rehabilitation of the roofs and the endowment of the offices, as well as the record of the museographic collection, "of incalculable value and the best silk material that is preserved ", to open the doors of the museum in 2018.