The sky is overcast as the car heads down the Inca road towards Selva, our next stop. Despite the veil of fog, through the window we can see a chain of peaks that make up, one after another, the Serra de Tramuntana. A mountain range that in 2011 was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. This distinction could well be a source of pride for Mallorcans. And if not, at least it could be an incentive to get to know a mountain range that many locals know little about. Our thoughts flow in that direction, carried by the wind, until almost without realizing it we end up in front of a fence. Against the fence jumps Timba, a mixture of Pyrenean mastiff and Swiss shepherd that follows us through a small path to the house of Mar and Ferran, the members of Molta Muntanya. Without knowing us at all, they melt with us in a warming embrace, that which is offered by those who know how to face the cold of the mountain. The clothing brand they launched a couple of years ago has made it to the top of many conversations.
"It was mind-blowing and we're still flipping out. That feeling is still with us”. This is how Mar reacts when she tries to describe what the beginnings of their project were like, an initiative that has its sights set on the heights, on that ridge that in Mallorca goes through the clouds. This adventurous couple is indebted to the mountain, she united them in a rocky bond through which torrents flow and which smells of pine. "The mountain is everything to us. It is the wildest part of our life because it connects us with our purest side. We always feel like being in nature surrounded by animals." Ferran is a mountaineer and you can feel his excitement when he describes the geographical incident that linked him to Mar. Someone with a name that, if we pay attention to its meaning, should splash the mountains with its foam as it comes into contact with them. But in this case, Mar climbs them first and then draws them. "I am a violinist and an elementary school teacher, but I have been painting all my life. I come from a family of artists and with them I have always gone on excursions along these routes." It's not surprising that Molta Muntanya saw the light of day with a Catalan like Ferran, who was discovering the Tramuntana, and Mar, who had known it since she was a child. "My hobby has always been to draw it".
"Molta Muntanya was launched the day Mar asked me to build the machine for her".
That impulse that Mar felt to capture the reliefs of Mallorca could be, if we are not mistaken, the first stone of this project. Unconsciously, Molta Muntanya was already incubating. When she met Ferran, she had left oil painting behind to delve into more linear illustrations. "Then I thought: I would love to wear this on a T-shirt. When I go to Decathlon I only see clothes with drawings of Everest, K2 or Mont Blanc, and I never know if I'm ever going to climb them. What I wanted was a T-shirt of Puig Major, which I know quite well". That desire pushed them to experiment with the transfer printing technique, an attempt with unflattering results; the route they opened did not let them get very high and they decided to abort their mission. Back at base camp, they began to plan a new ascent and came up with the silk-screen printing technique. Ferran, who is very skilled in all manual things, made the device that allowed them to print their first piece. "For me, Molta Muntanya was launched the day Mar asked me to build the machine. I was out of work at the time because all this happened right after the confinement." Again the pandemic, again the confinement becoming a catalyst for new projects.
Mar and Ferran have a need for the mountain, but both feel this need in different ways: while she walks along it to observe the poetry that populates its slopes, he climbs it to test his physique and empty himself completely. Two different visions that aligned with the stars to bring out this brand. Before they moved together to this house in the middle of the countryside, where you can see the profile of the Tramuntana silhouetted against the sky, Ferran lived with a group of climbers in Selva. When his companions saw the drawing of Puig Major on Mar's T-shirt, the orders fell like a great snowfall. "When they arrived at the climbing sectors with that T-shirt, everyone wanted it. Molta Muntanya caught on until it became what it is today," says Mar with illusion and traces of surprise still on her face. The small capital they earned with those first sales to acquaintances and friends was their first investment in the project: they bought more T-shirts and acquired a drill so that Ferran could build another machine. The first bet on a project that, little by little, was taking shape on the horizon like the mountains do when the morning mist clears away.
"It cannot be that we know how to identify the logos of the big brands and we don't know the names of our own mountains".
Today, Molta Muntanya's catalog is as long as the Himalayas: T-shirts, sweatshirts and tote bags made, as its slogan says, a mà i a cor. Made by hand and heart. Their elaboration process is fully handmade, it requires plenty of time and a lot of care. They produce on demand, their material is organic cotton and they use water-based inks. All to honor the nature they love so much. The topographic map of Galatzó, the profile of Massanella or Tomir, the relief of the fourteen thousand that exist in Mallorca... Printed designs with a minimalist aesthetic that, today, also portrays the orography of Catalonia. This is when Ferran smiles: "This was my fault because I always pushed her to paint those from my land. There is a lot of work to be done there and, besides, I really felt like wearing a Pedraforca T-shirt". Before undertaking a new drawing, Mar needs to nourish herself with information: contemplate the mountain, climb it, study its maps, read books and talk to people. Them deciding to print the summits of Catalonia is not surprising; they know them very well. When she finishes her artistic work, Ferran's job begins, and he takes care of the silkscreen printing. This is how they share the work.
Molta Muntanya's products can be purchased on their website, but they can also be found in the physical stores of Estiu Concept Store, Foracorda, La Insular, Món d'Aventura or Tramuntana Tours, all of them spread across different locations in Mallorca. Recently they also landed in Catalonia, more specifically in Montanyà (Vic) and Illa Sports (Granollers). Apart from their garments, their designs are also in a poster format that, if framed, can dress the most bare wall. It is in the markets where Ferran and Mar notice the impact that their work generates among the public. Reaching the top of a mountain is a tough undertaking, but it is full of experiences. Almost without looking for it, the prints of their fabrics establish a very special bond with those who have run these adventures. On the other hand, they also know how to bring the mountains closer to those who look at them with indifference. "It can't be that we know how to identify the logos of the big brands and we don't know the names of our own mountains," says Mar. "If you name things, you can start loving them." When we look at Molta Muntanya's designs, we understand exactly what she means.
Mar and Ferran wave goodbye to us from their front door. Timba chases our car for a while until it gets tired and turns around. When we start our way back to Palma, we feel protected by the jagged spectacle of the Serra de Tramuntana.
