Macramé – Ferrer

In 1968, Rita Ferrer Suñer and one of her daughters, Esperança Ferrer, decided to set up one of the first clothing and accessories shops on the island of Formentera, Confecciones Ferrer.

This shop sold everything from men’s, women’s and children’s clothing to household linen, towels, sheets, wool and haberdashery products, among others.

The two of them, with an enterprising character and rooted in tradition, decided to make handmade pieces, such as jumpers made from the island’s sheep’s wool and clothes made from a white cotton gauze, thus beginning the relationship of this family linked to the origins of Adlib fashion in the 70s.

In 1983 things had changed a lot in Formentera and, thanks to the presence of tourism and economic growth, they set up a second Confecciones Ferrer shop, also in the centre of Sant Francesc Xavier. Unfortunately, in 1996 a fire left this shop completely destroyed. Even so, Esperança Ferrer found the strength to rebuild the business. In 1999, they bought another shop in the same street of El Pla del Rei, nowadays Modas Ferrer, open all year round.

In 2006 they carried out the last refurbishment of Confecciones Ferrer to update the interior with a style more suited to the island, a reason they took advantage of to change the name of the shop, Macramé. Currently run by Anabel Costa, the third generation of the family, she continues with the same tradition that her grandmother and mother left her. Adlib fashion and the manufacture of wool and cotton pieces are a lure for tourists who visit the shops. They also continue to sell clothes, shoes and accessories for women, men and children.

Every year they launch new models of linen and since 2009 they have been participating in the Formentera Fashion Show with their own designs. They use the same raw materials as always, cotton gauze and bobbin lace, and continue with the same process of washing and bleaching the pieces. Anabel and her mother continue to buy the bunches of wool and cotton, which are hand-washed and dyed. They then take them to the women on the island, who during the winter months work on making the jumpers, shawls, ponchos, jackets, etc., which are mainly sold in the summer.

As a curiosity, Esperanza still goes to the shops every day to help her daughter, just as her mother did until she was 90 years old, knitting woollen jumpers sitting in a chair outside the shop while she watched her legacy continue.

The Macramé and Modas Ferrer shops are part of the culture and identity of Formentera. Since their beginnings they have contributed to providing a service to the island and promoting local fashion and craftsmanship.