Roberto
Romel and his art
Roberto Mellino is one of the craftsmen you can meet every Wednesday at the Hippy Market. ROMEL is his pseudonym, formed from the first syllables of his name.
Fashion, art and design are the three pillars that give life to his products. Roberto worked 20 years in the fashion industry, when then he came to a point when he decided to find a way of doing his art. He confesses with sadness that today quality and art have been relegated to the background because today it is only important to make business.
After a period of a personal crisis when he didn´t find his way in life, he realized that what he really wanted was to keep creating, but creating things that come out from his heart.
Now he is making his art and creates his own fashion. He is not considering himself as a painter, but as an art designer. He didn’t wanted to lose his passion for fashion and has continued to implement his artistic part in the products he sells at the market.
Everything that he is selling is not only handmade by him but all created and invented by him. He transforms bulbs, key chains or buttons in art works. He loves to give new life to things and confesses that: "What some see as garbage, for me it is a treasure."
He admits that maybe he is not getting rich in selling what it does, but he is having such a good time and people are so excited of what he is creating, and that is what he loves.
What does it mean for him to be a craftsman?
A craftsman or an artist it is not something you choose, for him it is simply a way.
He realized that fashion was no longer made in stores, but on the street. So 6 years ago he left the fashion business to dedicated himself to do crafts and to create his own ideas. He always liked to break with tradition and establisment, and he realized it.
How does he feel to sell his products in the market?
He chose to sell in the market for two main reasons.
First because of the environment. Beeing able to work outdoors in the nature is a luxury for him.
On the other hand because, without realizing it, he has identified with the hippy mentality.
He says he was surprised when he discovered that he had been a hippy throughout his life, without realiing it until he reached the Hippy Market, where everything was so easy, so normal, so finally ... he found his place.
"When you see 100 people moving to one direction and chose the other one you seem to have a problem, but when you come to a place where evrybody goes in the same direction like you, you realize that you are not abnormal, you've just found your place."
Miriam
Miriam, passion for recycled materials
Black and gold colors on a turquoise colured background shows us that we have reached the stall of Miriam. Since she discovered the endless possibilities of working with recycled materials, she is now developing different techniques and applications for twelve years.
She works on different types of recycled materials, such as truck tires, zippers, bicycle chains, bicycle tires, sprocket wheels, measuring tapes ... and everthing she creates she does by hand.
What does it mean for her to be craftsman?
She tells us that being an craftsman for her is much more than a way of life or a profession, for her to be able to spend her time on what makes her happy is the most important thing.
The craftmanship is her daily life and kidding, she confesses, also her night life. Because she spent the night producing for the market without being able to sleep. 'That's the life of a craftsman' she says with a somehow weary smile.
How does she see craftsmanship today?
As a constant struggle with the industrial market from abroad. Crafts and handmade products can not compete on the market with prices and products coming from big industry companies from foreign countries.
She tells us with worries that we have our future in our own hands, because if we produce and buy everything abroad we all will be left without jobs. "If we would produce and buy in Spain it would be much better and we could not complain about the situation we are living."
How were her beginnings?
Miriam, who lives and produces in Ibiza, studied design at the School of Art and Design in Valencia, and focused her final project to work with recycled materials. She liked it so much that she was increasingly involved so far, that she is now more than 12 years working on these materials to create handicrafts.
What does it mean to her to sell her products at the Hippy Market?
Before answering Miriam smiles at us with her whole face and especially her eyes, to say simply:
" I love it ".
The Hippy Market gives her the opportunity to dedicate her live for what she truly is passionated about, and that is priceless. Despite the great effort, the lack of economic compensation and sleepless nights it is something that makes you enjoy every day of your life.
Mónica
Mónica, creator of Hippy Kids
Everyone knows her as Mona and she is the queen of the kids world in the Hippy Market. We sit amongst parents making crafts with their kids surrounded by colors everywhere and she tells us the story of Hippy Kids.
How came the idea of this space?
It all started with her visits to Ibiza ten years ago, and of course on wednesdays to the Hippy Market, but the idea finally came when she becames a mother; she always thought that it is a nice market but because of her motherly circumstances she saw the need that there should be also a space for children.
With this idea in her mind she made a proposal to the orgnaization and thanks to several supports, now she sees her fruits growing, since 2013, three years ago, and always bringing new ideas.
What's it all about Hippy Kids?
It is a space dedicated to families where the fathers and mothers can relax and sharing time together with their children, playing and creating. There are creative workshops with the aim to create a very own special memory of the Hippy Market and take it back to their homes.
But the main idea of the area and in what Monica is most interested, is family integration, or say that the parents and children make crafts together, taking advantage of being in holiday, sharing time togehter, escaping from their daily routine at their homes where often there is not enough time making things together.
What do the families take with them from the Kids area?
They take a lot more than they think while participating in the workshops. When the parents and children are back at their homes they will always remember that they have been created something nice together, every time they look at their selfmade dreamcatchers or crownflowers they will remember that special day of their holidays.
Hippy Kids reactivates the almost lost hippie ideals, ideals such as peace, love and family unity.
¿Wanna spend a good time with your children?
Sebastián
Sebastián, craftsman as a state of life
We surprise Sebastián working on his materials in the bustle of the Hippy Market. His stall is located at the beginning of the Street of Craftsmen and from far away you can already recognise that he loves what he is doing and certainly he is contributive in telling the world how pleasant it is for him to be a craftsman.
When he became a craftsman?
Although Sebastián arrived at the Hippy Market only in 2014 he already 16 years ago embarked on this beautiful profession of being a craftsman and on his way he worked on materials such as silver, bronze, alpaca or leather elsewhere around the world.
What is he producing, how, where and which materials he uses?
He works with leather, which he cuts, braids or whatever it needs, also with metals such as bronze, silver or alpaca and stones brought from around the world. He shows us stones from Peru, Canada or Mexico.
In continuous learning which his profession requires him, he is now beginning to make waistcoats as a new product and he shows us one of his most traditional creations, sus crowns.
Although he works with materials from other places of the world, he elaborates and creates all his works in Ibiza, feeling its energy, believing and focusing on local products.
What means the Hippy Market for Sebastían?
For him, it is an amazing place that brings together people from all over the world, very good music of many different styles, a combination of many cultures.
The most important thing for him in the Hippy Market is the art of craft, the craft stalls, he does not like much the stalls who sell industrial products but fully respects the sellers.
For Sebastián it is necessary to open more spaces around the world like the Street of the Craftsmen at the Hippy Market, as these are arts that are getting lost and will not be found again, something of man´s life that we should never lose.
How he sees the importance of craftsmanship today?
Nowadays people are beginning to realize what craft really means and is, there is a small awake regarding its value, the same like with organic food.
Many people prefer to pay a little bit more, knowing what they buy and not support industrial companies, exploitation or resale.
What does it mean to be craftsman? Is it a way of life?
When you are a craftsman, you dedicate your whole life to this, it is a way of life, you wake up every day and you practice.
He works every day about seven to twelve hours, either at home, in the Hippy Market or wherever.
Do not miss the street of the craftsmen at the Hippy Market, watch them working live!
Craftbeer Ibosim
Oscar and the hippest craftbeer
Oscar awaits us, smiling behind the bar in the center of the multicultural tent in the Hippy Market, to tell us how he and his partner Carlos four years ago in 2013 created Ibosim, a brand of authentic craft beer. It is now the third year they collaborate with the Hippy Market.
What do they produce, how, where and what materials do they use?
Oscar and Carlos, alongside two more assistantss form a top craftsmen team and togehter they manufacture their craftbeer with 100% natural ingredients, unfiltered and natural carbonation, without additives and produced in Ibiza, always looking for the highest quality of raw materials and in the processes.
They have 5 different flavors in their standard range and at the Hippy Market you can try two flavors, which are Rosemary and Weissbier alongside with a personalized Hippy Market label to get the special touch.
We highly recommend to everyone to get to know Ibosims BrewHouse in Port des Torrent near San Antonio, the first microbrewery in the island of Ibiza, where they offer tastings togehter with tapas all year long, with the possibility of sale and wholesale plus guided visitor tours. We will not miss it!
What does it mean to Oscar to be a craftsman?
For him it means to create products with love, produce something good and having an eye on every detail. To think more about the product itself and its qualities not in selling it.
Being a craftsman means producing quality, everything else what happens after ist just an extra.
What does the Hippy Market mean for Ibosim?
A historical and representative place on the island of Ibiza well known not only in Ibiza. This is a great opportunity for them to present their craftbeer to the thousands of people of the whole the world who visit the Hippy Market every summer.
Come along and try ladies and gentlemen!
Website:
http://www.cervezaibosim.com
María
María a lady of the Hippy Market
41 years being part of the Hippy Market family is said quickly but not something that everyone can claim. This friend came on July 75 to Ibiza (two years after the beginning of the Hippy Market) and we are honoured to have her still at the market.
How was her arrival at the Hippy Market?
María is from Catalonia although she lived many years in France. In those years she met an australian hippie who came every summer to Ibiza and who told her about the island. She decided to give up her comfortable life, her job as a stewardess for taking a new direction in search of a freer way of life. The people of her environment asked her if she was crazy, giving up all she had and with the education she was blessed with.
She gave up everything and only came with a book which was wonderfully called: "Start a new life" (in which they descibe how to build a house, raising children, plant a garden etc.).
How were those early days in the market?
She tells us that the people were trying to sell everything what they could, as it was the livelihood of many. They made crafts, cakes ... She started selling clothes and making cakes.
She has seen every stage of the Hippy Market since its inception and says that it changed slowly in the beginning. The essence of those years you can still live nowadays in the street of the craftsmen next to her stall, she says, this is what her reminds most of those years.
From the 80s the market began to grow more and more and made him the largest one of the island until today.
What currently sells María at the Hippy Market?
Her stall transformed step be step, now she sells inddian products, related to indian rituals and philosophy, which have a very direct relationship with Ibiza for her: freedom, respect for nature and love.
What does the hippie spirit means for her?
With her sweet voice she tells us that the hippies were people with a lot of culture, they were against the established society, rigid and outdated social structures; they wanted freedom. She talks about the transformation that existed and the current term "neohippie", which mixes the past with the future.The hippie philosophy for her means respect and love for the earth and the nature, community ... a connection with the earth.
What does the Hippy Market mean for Mary?
It was a way to change her life, before she lived so properly, she had all, but she wanted to be happier and live freely.
Everyone had the chance to make a living being creative and living without fixed work schedules or closed social structures. This lifestyle allowed them to raise their children well and educate them with the philosophy they liked.
She has adapted to the hippie way of life with respect to the nature, although always mantaining her her own ideas and criteria.
An anecdote
When María was picking figs or carob trees on the island to make her cakes she met
people who did not have a lot of money and lived with what they could, they lived super happy without having money, nowadays this exist not anymore, times changed she says.
At the market she always remembers a guy who was waiting until she sold all her cakes she made for asking her for the eatable rests of the cakes who stayed in the cake pan, to get something to eat.
These hippies were not at the market for the money, they were there because of the atmosphere, to show what they did and created. In these times it was very nice she tells us, there was a lot of music, the people were very quiet, the money if it came well but sometimes they went home without nothing but it didn´t matter.
Juan Fluxà
Juan Fluxá, an ibizan countryman amongst hippies, opens his heart one Wednesday morning and tells us his passion.
What are you producing, how, where and which ingredients are you using?
I am elaborating 100 % handmade typical ibizan natural products such as: flavored salts, typical liqueurs, sweet chilli ... all with absolute respect for our mother earth and for what she is offering us. I am always looking for innovation without losing good costums and developping new products like our new spicery. We cannot wait to try them!
¿Why you decided to become a craftsman?
It all started with a small distillery at home, my family made ibizan herbs as a lifelong tradition. Juan founded the family business with a clear philosophy "homemade", his passion for the products of the ibizan land, native plants and craftsmanship. Seeking for the approval of the fellow countrymen of Ibiza, he is always present in all craft fairs and events where you can support and defend local products of Ibiza, with the aim to pass traditional knowledge to foreigners.
What does it mean to be craftsman? Is it a way of life?
Being a craftsman means respecting a trade, not to copy, create, meet manufacturing processes, listening to opinions, not to use chemicals or essences or additives ... it means having a natural point of view.
How do you see the importance of craftsmanship today?
The craftsmanship concept was missing in Ibiza was all too easy, so that people stopped producing handcrafted products, now it is recovering and valued again.
Nowadays craftmanship is a great opportunity.
What means the Hippy Market for Juan?
Besides being his first bid to be storekeeper, for John Fluxà Hippy Market means good energy, emotions, tips ... Being in a positive environment, where everyone is happy, satisfied, on holidays or enjoying a walk through the market, feelling the true essence of Ibiza.