Despite being known as the Manila Shawl, its origin is different. This popular piece, estimated to be 4,000 years old, comes from China. The province of Canton has always been famous for its silk embroidery, and it is in this region that the shawl’s origin is attributed.

However, the reason for attributing its origin to the city of Manila has a logical explanation, since in the 15th century, the port of this city channeled the export of all goods from China. From there, they were distributed throughout the Pacific along the so-called “China Ship Route.”

Much has been written about the Manila shawl, which, despite its age, is once again fashionable at fairs and the most cherished celebrations. Originally from China, it arrived in Spain from Manila, where the fringes were added, and it reached its peak of popularity. It soon became a symbol of elegance that transcended all fashion cycles and was included among the motifs chosen by great painters and writers of the era. Later, flamenco would adopt it as its own accessory.

It is a fundamental piece in any wardrobe, a sign of distinction and elegance. No one described the essence of the Manila shawl better than the writer Benito Pérez Galdós in his novel “Fortunata and Jacinta”:

“…the most beautiful and distinctive shawl that so enhances her beauty, the Manila shawl, at once stately and popular, for it has been worn on the shoulders of both the great lady and the gypsy. To wrap oneself in it is like dressing in a painting. Modern industry will never invent anything that equals the ingenuous poetry of the shawl, sprinkled with flowers, supple, clingy, and matte, with that fringe that has something of the tangles of dreams and that brilliance of color that illuminated the crowds in the times when its use was widespread… She takes it out of her chest at the great moments of life, at baptisms and weddings, like a hymn of joy being released to the wind, in which there is a verse for the homeland. The shawl… is like a legend, like childhood tales, innocent and rich in color, easily understood and…” Resistant to the whims of fashion…

This year, they are making a strong comeback, both as an accessory for flamenco dresses and as a complement to party dresses or wedding attire. On this page, you can find an original Manila shawl (made between 1860 and 1930), crafted from natural silk with original, hand-embroidered details that make your outfit truly unique.

It is one of the most sophisticated garments in a woman’s wardrobe. The Manila shawl is sometimes a jewel passed down through generations of women in the same family. Silk embroidered with vibrant designs or bouquets of flowers and fringe are the unmistakable components of these shawls, one of the most representative garments of Spanish folklore and an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Spanish art, from the paintings of Sorolla to the choreographies of the Spanish National Ballet and the style of queens and aristocrats.

Our intention is that you will wear a work of art that can be passed down from generation to generation, giving your dress a special glow and a unique and original character. We hope you enjoy the page as much as we have enjoyed the beauty of these shawls.