BRINGING THE LOOMS BACK TO LIFE: RESTORING CRAFT, WOOL AND MAKING AT SONMO

The SONMO Dialogues is a monthly series of cultural talks exploring Mallorca's living heritage through craftsmanship, culture, and regenerative practices. A space where artisans and other voices come together, bringing closer together the city of Palma and the Serra de Tramuntana.

 One of the participants in the series of talks has been Daniel Harris, weaver, textile artisan, and founder of The London Cloth Company, for a conversation on restoring craft, wool, and making at SONMO. 

 Before arriving at SONMO, he spent years rescuing abandoned industrial looms across the UK, recovering machines from fields, restoring old mills, and rebuilding knowledge that had almost disappeared. Over the years, he received calls from institutions ranging from the South Korean Air Force to MIT and the mayor of the Falkland Islands. Four years ago, one of those calls brought him to Mallorca.

What he found was a textile mill on the outskirts of Palma, closed since around 1977. Looms still loaded with cloth, bobbins still in place. In 2023, Daniel and the SONMO team rescued, relocated, and restored the looms from this 120-year-old weaving mill in Establiments, where they had been dormant for over 45 years. Moving the machinery required a 15-tonne crane, closing the road, and cutting through the roof of the building. Everything was relocated in February 2023. By December, the first loom was running again; today the only wool weaving mill in the Balearic Islands, in an effort to relaunch Mallorca's once lost wool industry.

 "If you create a market for that wool, there's an incentive to improve it. But improving it takes five years. You have to believe it's worth it." — Daniel Harris

The looms don't appear in any parts catalogue, so Daniel and the SONMO team produce what they need themselves using 3D printing, laser cutting, and casting. Some components are intentionally made to wear down before the metal parts do, allowing the machines to keep running for decades to come. The objective is simple: to keep production and knowledge in use over time.

For decades, wool from native Mallorcan sheep had almost no value. Farmers often paid for shearing themselves, while the wool ended up as low-grade filler with no clear destination. At SONMO, we wanted to change that by creating a system that works for everyone involved: paying fairly for the wool, covering shearing costs, and using the material locally. The wool from the native red sheep is used entirely for the rugs, creating value for the land, the farmer, and the final product.

“We're not trying to save the past. We're trying to prove it still has a future." — Daniel Harris

 

Explore the next SONMO Dialogues and the full program of upcoming conversations and talks.

Photographs: Salva López