Gustavo, a recycled hippie
Gustavo is one of the real veterans of the market. His first appeared at the market in 1975, so that he is part of the history, memories and crazy adventures of those early years of the Hippy Market.
When he arrived, the market of Es Canar was already existing two years, he started learning to develop wood to glove puppets and marionettes. And also he realized some creations with ceramics and glass. Always developing his personal designs.
After a break of several years he returned to the market because he had many ideas in his head and many things to do.
These days he and his wife work together as craftsmen and everything they sell are products of their own imagination and hands.
They describe themselves as recycled hippie, from the year they began to study ending up as graphic and industrial designers. They had ideas bubbling in their heads so this was the only real way to return to the public.
Currently the products they sell in the market are magnets, bookmarks, posters, stickers, pins ... everything related to design. And these special designs they apply to different kind of items they produce.
With a simple way of life away from the consumer society, they are living with the minimum to live in harmony and to be happy. He says ironically regardind the size of their company: "Our company is way too large, the size of the home dining table. When we eat, we have to fold the company. "
How does he see the importance of the craftsmen today?
They are very confident that the boom of chinese goods has come to an end, and that craftsmen will be valued again. Prices of products made in China have made craftsmen disappeared from the map for 10 or 12 years.
Now most of the crafftsmen are very happy because the public has already started to buy those things they know that are unique. They want unique pieces rather than mass production.
Being one of the veterans, what you miss about that early years?
With a smile he confesses that nothing surprises him because each time was good and different. What they experience and live in these moments is exceptional and to reminisce the past is very nice to laugh and celebrate the good things they did but also the blunders they committed.
An anecdote:
In those years, any foreign hippy returning to its origin, it was because they were reclaimed by their families, which were very well-funded. Before leaving they had to give away their cars and they left it as a gift to the nearest. To me they gave a Volkswagen which we used among all who knew it, also because there was no key left for it. Until one day the police threatened me that I needed to regulate it and wo we saw no other alternative but to give it a dignified burial.
All of us hippies we went to Cala San Vicente and made an extraordinary celebration to bring the car, which was in perfect condition, to the cemetery. It was a very nice farewell because the car had a name, it was called La Petronia.
And like this stor , they have a thousand of stories to tell about that crazy and liberated times of Ibiza, where Hollywood superstars rubbed shoulders with hippies. It was a natural and healthy relationship between all without class differences; all were in Ibiza to enjoy the island amongst each other and having fun.