Łódź: The weaving traditions of Tartaruga

The textile tradition is very strong in Łódź. You see former manufacturers and textile factories at every turn in the city. For the people of Łódź, textiles are part of their identity. Tartaruga fits perfectly into this. “We’re happy to continue the tradition, albeit in a slightly different, more artisanal and artistic form,” say the founders of the weaving studio. Tartaruga is also now a shop in Łódź. “The studio and shop are located on the corner of Wschodnia and Włókiennicza streets. We probably couldn't have found a better location," they say. “Our fabrics are bought by customers from all over the world, not only from Łódź. But right here, locally, we see a lot of interest in weaving workshops. People want to get to know the craft from the inside out, especially because of the history of the city, which is often also the history of individuals or families.”

The idea of a small shop next to the studio had been developing in their minds for a long time, but until now the conditions were not in place to bring it to life. “In all our studios so far, most of the space was taken up by looms and the storeroom for our wool supplies. It wasn't even possible to put in a bigger workbench. We even had to move all the looms into a corner to free up space to take pictures of the finished kilims. We also always felt that our atelier lacked a showroom area, a place where customers could see our fabrics in all their glory without having to wade ankle-deep in wool dust," says Wiktoria Podolec.

In November 2023, Tartaruga moved into the studio at Wschodnia 54. At the new address, they could create a photographic ministudio in a separate room and put in a large workbench that comfortably seats 12 people. The small room still accommodates the dream shop. “We wanted people to be able to buy not only our fabrics and self-learning weaving kits, but also other handmade items from various Polish craft studios. Over the years of running the company, travelling to fairs, conferences, festivals and workshops, we’ve met lots of talented people who make beautiful things.” From these acquaintances, the Tartaruga and Friends shop was born.

It sells mainly textiles and weaving kits from Tartaruga, but also ceramics, glass, cosmetics, accessories, lamps and trinkets. The shop has a separate workshop space where they regularly hold weaving classes. The owners also invite friends to run workshops in their fields. There have already been classes in jewellery making, soap making, coaster making, plate painting, garland weaving, and traditional tea making, among others. “Our space allows you to experience crafts in many ways: to see them live and buy perfectly designed and made items, to watch experienced craftswomen at work or try your hand at different techniques,” says Wiktoria.

Asked which places connected with textile tradition they think are worth visiting in Łódź, Wiktoria and Jadzia mention the Central Museum of Textiles first. The museum is housed in a beautifully renovated former factory, right next to a park with a lake and a characteristic fountain in the shape of calla flowers. It has an impressive collection of artistic textiles, but also a great collection of vintage clothing. “Our favourite part is the fashion from the People's Republic of Poland," reveal the girls from Tartaruga. “We’d also definitely recommend visiting the machine hall on the ground floor; the technicians there are very willing to talk about the antique looms, and if you ask they’ll start them up and show how fabric is made.” In the courtyard of the Central Museum of Textiles there’s a small open-air museum with beautiful wooden houses from the region, where you can see recreated historical craft workshops or exhibitions of contemporary art and design.

One of Łódź's biggest attractions is Manufaktura, a huge complex that used to be a textile factory surrounded by walls, which is actually a small city within a city. Today it’s home to a shopping centre, restaurants, a cinema and cultural institutions. “We’d also head further south, towards the beautiful Księży Młyn district. There’s an estate of brick workers' cottages, a gigantic factory converted into a loft block of flats and the charming Herbst Palace, which once belonged to one of the factory owners' families. In our opinion, it’s the most interesting palace in the city. It’s much less grand than the famous Poznański Palace in Manufaktura, but it has an amazing atmosphere, a beautiful garden, a café in the palace orangery and a small but very well-selected collection of Young Poland art,” Wiktoria and Jadzia add.