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Traditional craft of Mallorca

Capellers and barreters (hat makers)

At a glance

Manufacture and sale of hats. In Mallorca, the capell (with a brim that goes all the way around the head) and the barret or bonet (without brim) were…

Crafts
Traditional craft of Mallorca
Words
barreter / boneter, capell, capeller, forma, ventalla

What it is and technique

Manufacture and sale of hats. In Mallorca, the capell (with a brim that goes all the way around the head) and the barret or bonet (without brim) were distinguished. Each one had their own col·legi. Technique: felt or wool formed on wooden forms (lasts); The palm capell belongs to another craft ( palm work ).

Process step by step

1. Prepare the felt or wool (carding, fulling).

2. Form the hat on the wooden form, with steam and pressure (general technique; check in Mallorca).

3. Carve the wing with scissors.

4. Lining: tape, lining, chamois.

Forms and objects

  • Wing Capell; barret/bonnet without brim.
  • See capell de palma and gipó i vestit de pagès .
  • Escut dels barreters: three barrets, a carder and some scissors. Escut dels capellers: an episcopal capell and three forms.

Vocabulary

  • capeller: one who makes or sells capells.
  • barreter / boneter: who makes barrets or bonets (without brim). "Boneters" is the traditional name in Mallorca.
  • capell: brimmed hat (I live in the Islands; in Catalonia it is called barret).
  • forma: wooden last.
  • ventalla: brim of the hat.

Geography

  • Palma: Carrer de la Barreteria (parish of Sant Nicolau, disappeared around 1950); plaça dels Capellers (formerly a street), where the col·legi room was.
  • Casa Julià: Carrer del Sindicat, 23-A, Palma.

Short story

  • 1483: foundation of the col·legi de barreters; patron saint of Puresa de Maria (Ramon Llull chapel, Sant Francesc).
  • 1517: the capellers separate; patron Saint Jaume.
  • 1898: Sombrereria Casa Julià opens, today in the catalog of emblematic establishments in Palma (file 94, 2021).
  • 1992: Casa Julià recovers the design and manufacture of Mallorcan hats (according to the press 2026; to be verified).

State

I live as a trade, fragile as a trade. Register of artisans (consultation 10/13/2026): no capeller registrations in Mallorca.

Where and who today

  • Casa Julià Hat Store — Carrer del Sindicat 23-A, Palma (since 1898).

Why is it design

  • Precise typology: with wing or without wing, it separates trades and guilds.
  • The last as a tool-pattern: the wooden form is the reproducible design.
  • Talking escuts: the product and the tool as identity.

For the project

  • Collaboration with Casa Julià: reissue of a documented Mallorcan capell.
  • “Palma de los guilds” tour: Barreteria, Capellers, Boteria, Esparteria.

Frequently asked questions

What is Capellers and barreters (hat makers)?

Manufacture and sale of hats. In Mallorca, the capell (with a brim that goes all the way around the head) and the barret or bonet (without brim) were…

What are the traditional words for Capellers and barreters (hat makers)?

Some words: barreter / boneter, capell, capeller, forma, ventalla.

Sources

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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