MOLA

PLACEText: Xpectro

Located at the Museo de Medellin (house of the world famous Botero collection), MOLA is a nice little store. Noticing the lack of places where tourists and locals could go to shop for handcrafts, the directives of the museum opened this space to solve the problem but also help a new type of handcraft evolve.

Claudia Villa, director of the store, says that it all started with the selection of the first objects amongst hundreds of not so interesting pieces. Afterwards, they realized that urban artisans had very appealing pieces, both inspired in local culture but developed under contemporary design trends.

This way, now you can find things that fit the younger taste and continue with cultural traditions from the past.

The space is divided in three different sections: Te y cafe (the and coffee), filled with objects designed to enjoy during the time used to drink coffee, one of the most important parts of our culture; Contemporaneo (actual) devoted to designers and artists producing pieces and Mercado de los artesanos (artisan’s market), where you can buy products from urban artisans. You can walk in them without noticing the division, is just to order the space and things inside them, but the feeling and style is constant all over the place.

So MOLA offers jewlery, objects for daily life, clothing, toys, lamps… You’ll find designs from Adriana Posada, Rada disenos, Ivan Rodriguez, Palabras sobre algodon, Freddy Ibanez, Sedacol, Silvia O, Maria Cristina Restrepo, Fundacion Ecolombia, amongst others.

Medellin is a city that loves design. Located in the mountains and surrounded by nature, it’s lush atmosphere has invaded the minds of designers from years ago, creating a relaxed and very sensual approach to textile and clothing design. As a matter of fact, this city has been the heart of Colombia in terms of fashion. This store is an example of the mixture of styles and materials present here. So, it’s a must for visitors.

MOLA is a word that comes from the idea of the store, but a MOLA is a type of textile developed by the natives of Colombia. So, it serves well to name this space that has started a very special trend: in some museums, people stop at the store after visiting the museum; here, MOLA has attracted lots of shoppers that, later, visit the museum.


MOLA

Address: 52 Carrera, Edificio del Antiguo Palacio Municipal, Medellin, Colombia
Tel: +574 251 3636
http://www.museodeantioquia.org

Text: Xpectro
Photos: Xpectro

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MoMA STORE