La Factoría Estampaora

The Albayzín has given birth to and inspired artists from around the world. It’s also a muse to those born in its winding paved alleyways and steep hills, as well as to those gazing at its beauty for the first time. The neighbourhood has been captured in infinite works of art. La Factoría Estampaora in Granada is taking the image of the Albayzín to a new format: simple objects like notebooks, t-shirts, cups, posters and decorative boxes.

Ana María Cuartero and María José Sánchez, a Catalan and Cordoban, are the masterminds of this reinvention of the souvenir that delves into the roots of the city. “Our products start out as original artwork. They are skillfully designed, lovingly created, modern and timeless. They are more than souvenirs,” explains Sánchez, who directs sales and marketing at this small company. Sánchez sums it up pretty well. The branding of La Factoría Estampaora oscillates somewhere between tradition and modernity, resulting in objects that “transmit the duende of this corner of the world,” continues Sánchez. The designers ensure that their products don’t fall into the trap of frivolity as do many of those on sale throughout the city.

Inspired by photographs, abstractions, models or interpretations of the city around her, Ana Cuartero creates oil paintings, watercolours, tempera and ink drawings to communicate the “ecclectic essence, magic and sensuality of the Albayzín, its people, odors, the way time stands still, sounds and silence and the light that highlights its beauty”. This is printed onto t-shirts, fired into ceramics, or stamped onto paper. These are their three lines of work. “We’re attached to each and every object we produce, from shot glasses to posters. We’ve always prioritized quality and the perfect finish. We don’t care how long it takes to achieve it or how many tests we need to do. We want the final product to be exactly the way we’d imagined it,” comments Sánchez.

Sales at La Factoría Estampaora are on the up. Their online store gets several requests a day from all over Spain. They’ve even created a line of corporate gifts. Visitors to Granada can find their products on sale at their shop in Plaza Nueva, or even at stores such as Tabanco del Tío Gregorio, la Casa del Talismán and Artefactoría. They are even popular amongst the local population: “Locals find our products original and different. Initiatives like this one are important to create a more dynamic neighbourhood,” argues Sánchez.

When browsing at their store you’ll be entering a whole new world: a t-shirt with the image of a girl leaning against a donkey, a print of the neighbourhood of Santa Ana, a ceramic box reminiscent of the characteristic buildings that line the streets of Granada, a notebook depicting an Andalusian patio on its cover, small glasses from which to drink the essence of the area… So what is it about the Albayzín that they find so inspiring? “The wisdom that comes with centuries, their respect for foreginers and the ability of locals to integrate with them. Above all the ability to discover a infinite angles, friends, colours or corners in which to have a drink with friends”.

“It’s something mysterious that attracts and fascinates, the vision of the Albayzín from the fortress and palace at midnight… An the panorama, while splendid and strange and charged with potent romantic voices, isn’t what fascinates. What is fascinating is the sound. One could say that everything has a sound… The light, the colour, the shapes…,” wrote Federico García Lorca. Just as his verse is present in every nook and cranny of Granada, it’s also present in la Factoría Estampaora.

La Factoría Estampaora
Plaza Nueva, 6
Granada, Granada
958229464, 665401488 info(a)lafactoriaestampaora.es, tienda.granada(a)lafactoriaestampaora.es