Understand How to Spot an Authentic Mola

by Marge E.

Molas are a traditional style of textile art, created by the women of the Kuna tribe, in the country of Panama, South America.

The mola is created with many layers of bright colored fabric.  The process is a “reverse applique”.  The image is cut and seams are turned inward, carefully hand-stitched.  Layer upon layer builds up the design, and detailed hand stitching holds it all together.

How to spot an authentic mola? Look at the many layers of fabric, the detail of the stitches, the geometric designs- often based on plants and creatures of the rainforest.  If a mola looks washed, faded, or worn… so much the better!  Those are signs that the piece was created for personal use, not for the tourist trade!

Recently, these beautiful handcrafted works have enjoyed a resurgence, thanks to both the tourism and fair trade industry.

Kuna women have skillfully melded mola art in practical pieces, creating wall hangings, tote bags, slippers, clothing, and other profitable items.  The emerging market for molas has created a vibrant “cottage industry” for many families that have had limited opportunity.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at 4:49 pm. It is filed under Handmade and tagged with authentic, fair trade, Kuna, mola, panama, textile art, tribal art, tribe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.