Weaving is a centuries-old tradition in Béarn and the Basque Region, first in linen then in cotton after the 19th century.
Artiga was founded in 1910 in the Basque Region, near the Spanish Border, in the South West of France. Since then, four generations of weavers have
remained loyal to the Basque Spirit which depicts the warmth of the Regional houses.
Basque linens are part of the Basque heritage. Artiga weaves the linens in respect of this tradition. Basque Linens are made from high quality color resistant fabrics. The uniqueness of these linens comes from their 7 stripes representing the 7 provinces of the Basque Region: 3 French provinces and 4 Spanish ones. The palette of colors is inspired from the strong regional tones which associate thin and wide stripes, the genuine signature of Basque fabrics. The patterns designed nowadays are a variation of the old mante à boeufs which was meant to protect working cattle from insects.
Artiga's cotton comes from Zambia or Egypt. The quality of this thread is the best guarantee of the strength and resistance of the products. The white thread is first enlightened by the dyer's magical pigments palette according to a staining process called Grand Teint, which guarantees a color resistance. The rolls are plunged into boiling tainted baths and then take their colors in the steam heat of an autoclave oven. They are then dried and put on the weaving looms where they will mix to create the recognizable designs and colors of Artiga.
Artiga launches two new collections each year and ten new designs each season which receive the name of a local village or city, such as Hendaye, Mimizan or Bayonne.
Care Instructions:
• To respect the quality of fibers, let your new linen soak in cold water for 2 hours before the first use. Put this wet item in the washing machine and run a normal 86°F wash cycle
using your regular detergent. It is normal for this kind of natural linen to shrink up to 8% in length.
• Wash colored cloth separately two or 3 times
• Wash at a maximum of 140°F after the first use
