AOW INSIDER: An Interview with the Founders of Xtant

This week, I am delighted to share a conversation with Kavita Parmar and Marcella Echavarría, co-founders of XTANT, which has become a beautiful, inspiring, emerging artisan fair and educational program that takes place annually on the island of Mallorca.

The show features the work of master artists and includes a week-long program of conversations and exhibitions around the intricacies of the artisan sector. It’s been described as “an exciting mix of Burning Man, a TED talk, and a village fair.” The focus for Kavita and Marcella remains on providing a platform for master textile artists, some of whom are among the last generation to hold onto their traditional know-how. "We aim to celebrate them as the rock stars they are,” they told me. “For us, textiles are texts that represent the next frontier of modern art.”

I had the pleasure of attending this beautiful show for the second time this past May and was thrilled to get the chance to speak with Kavita and Marcella about their goals, vision, and takeaways from this year’s experience. I also asked the co-founders their thoughts on who the event is best suited for if you are curious to attend. Let's dive in - read the full interview below. 

For those new to XTANT, please tell them a bit about the show.  

M: XTANT at its core is an educational project that uses textiles as a metaphor to give us the threads to explore urgent issues like scale, cultural identity, climate change, and sustainability in all its facets and definitions.

XTANT is an annual gathering, a global celebration of the art in heritage textile knowhow, organized by Kavita Parmar and Marcella Echavarria with the support of the government of Mallorca. The event has been described as an exciting mix of Burning Man, a TED talk, and a village fair. It’s also turning Palma into a destination for textile enthusiasts, collectors, architects, interior designers, makers, and fiber artists.

Our focus is on providing a platform for master textile artisans, some of whom are the last generations holding onto their traditional knowhow. We aim to celebrate these artisans as the rock stars they are, while we elevate their work and their knowledge. For us, textiles are texts that represent the next frontier of modern art.

K: XTANT is a global gathering of a community that is passionate about excellence in craft, sustainability, and the preservation of ancestral textile knowhow. This growing interdisciplinary community comes together once a year on the island of Mallorca to strengthen their passion and commitment by learning, sharing, and building physical experiential spaces in heritage buildings around Palma. It’s a five-day festival open to the public, full of talks, round table discussions, exhibitions, workshops, and a ‘meet the makers’ market. The event is a must on any textile addict’s calender. 

How do you feel about this show compared to last year? 

M: We feel extremely happy about the event this year. It surpassed our forecasts on every level. Every year XTANT has a new theme around which a whole new tapestry is woven. This year we looked at ‘Fiber’ as a theme, last year we explored ‘Trama’ (weft) as we felt an urgent need to propose a new narrative. In collaboration with architect Pol Taylor, we presented a collaborative weaving structure in the center of the Borne in Palma. Can Balaguer hosted a comprehensive exhibition about Spanish wool while Can Vivot was the main patio where 60 artists from 23 countries presented their work. We held talks twice a day along with workshops and experiences that took place all over the island.

We work all year on the curation of every product present at XTANT as well as on the merchandising and display of the work. This year we decided to create color stories mixing products from different artisans with two purposes: creating an interesting customer experience where different areas of the patio could be highlighted chromatically while stretching values such as community and camaraderie among the participating artisans. 

K: I left this edition feeling inspired and incredibly hopeful. The leitmotif for this year was a perfect evolution as we zoomed in Fiber, the cloth ́s most granular unit, the smallest form of self. It was a reminder to us that to feel something deeply is to feel it through every fiber of our being. 

We cannot effectively understand, change, or tinker to improve a system if we don’t go back to its first principles. This year’s educational program truly inspired that journey.

XTANT isn’t a traditional fair so a standard booth format at the market makes little sense. That’s why we curated the gallery space collectively, to celebrate the breathtaking beauty of exquisitely crafted pieces by the incredibly talented humans gathered. It felt right. I believe we struck a chord as sales were excellent and the feedback this edition had was better than ever. 

What was a highlight for you at the show? Was there a moment where you thought, “Wow, our vision is coming true!”? 

M: For me that moment happened this year seeing the number of visitors who came all the way from Japan, Korea, Australia, Chile, etc. Each came with an open heart and with their unique idea about how to experience XTANT.  I now see XTANT as a pilgrimage, two weeks of the year destined for magic and meaning. 

K: It’s hard for me to pick a moment as I was on a perpetual high during the two weeks. The sense of joy and hope everyone expresses is extraordinary.

When one of your favorite movies or a book you love ends, you are in a state of suspension - you don’t want it to be over. I have to admit I am addicted to the heightened sense of community that manifests itself in each XTANT and like any addict I want more.

For those thinking about coming to XTANT can you tell them a bit more about expectations?

M: As mentioned before, XTANT is an educational project at its core. Both artists and buyers should only come if this is of interest to them. 

K: To artists: you will find your tribe and reignite your flame.

To buyers: it’s the place to find treasures – the finest and the most authentic craft – and to meet the inspiring humans who create them. 

To the public at large: it’s where you will witness the extraordinary in abundance and that will fill you with immense hope. 

For those heading to Mallorca, what are some of your secret spots that visitors must not miss?

K: Take a swim in the water at Banyalbufar and Son Serra de Marina. Get a glass of excellent natural wine with delicious tapas at Bar Lasang in Palma. Treat yourself to a day pass for the spa and pool at Hotel Maricel. And get on a boat to watch the sunset from any part of this magical island.

For more info - www.xtant.io

Photos 1-5 - AOW

Photos 6-8 - Luvia Lazo, Agata Dimmich / Styling Enrique Torres