The end of the road for one of Cyprus’ most ancient traditions?
Cheap Chinese imports and the lack of a market willing to pay the hiogh prices such detailed work demands are driving the makers of Lefkara lace out of business
They weren’t being rude, I told myself on the drive back from Lefkara. At first I couldn’t understand what the expressionless faces meant, staring through the doorways of their shops as I made my way up the steep roads of the notorious touristy village, notebook and camera in hand. This wasn’t the picture I had in my mind of Lefkara, a village where old ladies were once scattered in the tight streets, waving to tourists and neighbours while busy needling a tablecloth. It wasn’t until I spent a few hours with the infamous Lefkara women that I realised the looks of those shopkeepers were of clear desperation. Hundreds of pieces of handmade Lefkara lace hung on doors and windows but no one wanted to buy them. I was seen as a potential buyer, myself and a few others who visit the village rarely nowadays. Lefkara is losing its charm and one of the oldest traditions in the world may be dying…
Lefkara is a beautiful village situated among the mountains of the Larnaca district. Its name, derived from Lefko meaning white and ori meaning mountains, serves it well as you can spot the white coloured rough, limestone landscape from the winding roads that lead towards the village. It truly is breathtaking continuing all the way into the main square of Pano (Upper) Lefkara, a clean, quiet and appealing sight. Blue washed walls, steep roads and tight corners are home to 70 shops that all have one thing in common: the famous Lefkara embroideries.
However the lace itself is now under threat. Cheap Chinese imports of something that at first glance looks similar, have been replacing the time-consuming, hand crafted Lefkara embroideries in recent years and have now all but swamped the sale of the genuine item. From stalls situated at popular tourist resorts to shops across the island, complaints have reached an all time high from both buyers and Lefkara embroidery sellers. “Yes, it is a problem,” said Lefkara mayor Andreas Shosheilos. “Not only are Chinese embroideries being flogged as original Lefkara ones, some shops in the village also stock them! It is a result of desperation. However, we have no right to put a ban on it.”
Walking through the village it isn’t easy to detect the real from the fake hanging outside the shops, especially for the untrained eye (even though price is a bit of a giveaway). The artisans themselves though disagree. “But in fact, it is,” said Maria Koumidou, 43, one of the youngest Lefkara embroiderers. I had stopped by her shop after spotting a tablecloth with a sticker on it that read Made in China. “If you look at an original Lefkara handmade embroidery, you will notice several features that are unique and cannot be found on any other needlework.” Held side by side, it was obvious which one of the two was made by experienced Lefkara hands and which one was worked on a machine. “But tourists don’t seem to mind, even when we tell them,” Koumidou added. “The only reason some of us here in the village stock Chinese counterfeits is because it is one of the surest ways to make a bit of money.”
I spent a total of two hours in Koumidou’s shop and witnessed the arrival of a family, a couple and a single woman who bought a total of £20 worth of products altogether. “This is a good day,” she said as I watched her pull out tablecloth after tablecloth, desperate to get her handmade products noticed. Another shopkeeper
welcomed a family of four. “The mother bought a tablecloth but not a Lefkara handmade one. It was a Greek one worth £25,” she said folding away a mass of stock she had unwrapped hoping an English lady would buy something. “It gets worse every year,” Elli Raouna said. “You can ask anyone you like and they’ll all tell you the same. If we’re lucky we’ll make £50 the most in a day but perhaps only once a month.” This is also one of the reasons the lace, or Lefkaritika as it is known, may be dying. “It’s a disgrace but the truth is none of the younger girls are interested in this profession because the wages are so low,” said Andri Hadjiadamou. “Most of them leave the village in search of work as saleswomen in clothes shops or supermarkets.” Aliki Koumidou, 16-year-old daughter of Maria, explains: “It took me three months to make a small Lefkara embroidery and I loved every minute of it but we sold it for £15, so is there really any point in me devoting my life to this profession?”
Although Lefkaritika was extremely popular in the 80s and early 90s, this art form has taken a nosedive since then but Chinese counterfeits aren’t the only problem. “There are hardly any tour buses coming this way anymore,” explains Hadjiadamou, who owns D&A Lefkara Handicraft Centre in Pano Lefkara. Here, one could watch the little old ladies needling away on precious Lefkara embroideries and even have the opportunity to learn more about the unique Cyprus tradition. “In the workshop you can purchase any item on display and we are always willing to help with choosing but unfortunately days may go by without a single person stepping in to see this wonderful procedure.” Lefkara embroideries were once included in tour guides and specialised tourist magazines but Andri, along with many others, have been excluded from the ‘Cyprus must sees’. “It’s simply not appealing anymore and one of the major factors that have contributed to the lack of interest is the opening of the occupied areas,” said a representative at Nissos Tours. “We have to keep informed about what people want and it just seems tourists aren’t that interested in Lefkara embroideries anymore.” It is also believed desperate shopkeepers have been pressuring buyers and complaints have been made. “The municipality warned a lot of the shopkeepers in the village about either selling Chinese counterfeits as Lefkara originals or pushing tourists into buying something,” one shopkeeper said.
Lefkara embroideries aren’t cheap; in fact they are very expensive ranging from £80 for a tablecloth to £3,000 depending on the amount of work that’s gone into them, the lady who designs and makes it and of course, the size. “A few years ago a lady from England bought a £3,000 tablecloth,” said Hadjiadamou. “But that happens once every 10 years.” Some say this is also one of the reasons why the beautiful embroideries are losing face. “They are too expensive,” said a tour agent representative. “And although tourists love visiting the village, think it’s a heavenly sight, many of them can’t afford anything more than a couple of napkins, so what’s the point?” The Lefkara ladies, however, explain that although some prices may seem steep and some people cannot fully comprehend the work load, materials are also a rising cost. “The linen is costing us a lot more nowadays than it did 10 years ago and there’s even a deficiency from what we’ve been told,” said Koumidou. Add to that rent that almost every shop owner pays every month (anything from £200 to £500) and the picture fails to look rosy.
However, not all hope is gone. “We are all very aware of the seriousness of the situation and attempts are being made to create embroidery classes as well as a plan with the CTO to patent and keep the original Lefkara Lace alive,” Shoseilos explains. “We are yet to receive any help from the government but we are hoping for it.” Although many Lefkara ladies are considering selling businesses or looking for work elsewhere, they are all still hoping for the best. Hadjiadamou said: “If we had a production centre where Lefkara Lace was made by all the women in Lefkara, so they could get paid based on production, everyone would be happy and our embroideries would reach a broader market. I just hope it isn’t too late.”
A&M Koumides 24-342412
D&A Lefkara Handicraft Centre: 99-627759
How to spot the genuine item
– Lefkara embroideries are made on Irish linen from Northern Ireland. French thread is used, namely DMC, cotton perle and it comes in three colours only: white, brown and ecru.
– Lefkara lace is reversible, meaning the pattern can be viewed the same whichever side you look at.
– Lefkara ladies only use traditional designs, which they learned from their own mothers and grandmothers. There are no more than 10 different designs.
How Lefkara Lace is made
“Lefkara lace is made by counting the threads of the fabric,” said one of the village ladies. “This is the reason for most of the strictly geometrical shapes.” The embroidery consists of two features: designs which are embroidered over the cloth by using satin stitch and by the cut and drawn designs which are made after cutting and drawing specific threads of the fabric. Most designs have names describing objects from everyday life. “For the satin-stitch designs there are names such as lanterns, crosses, forks, snails and daisies,” explained Maria Koumidou. “For the cut and drawn designs names such as basket-like, eye-like and flea-like are used.” An important feature of Lefkara lace is ‘the river’ design, which has a crisscross shape and runs parallel to the outside edges of the fabric.
A bit of history
During the Byzantine period, the art of weaving costly textiles for the European market, mainly for ecclesiastical use, was centered in Constantinople. However, after the Crusades, when Cyprus became the only secular Latin stronghold in the eastern Mediterranean and a prosperous commercial centre, the tradition of crafting valuable embroideries became concentrated on the island.
It was, however, during the period of the Venetian occupation (1489-1571), that ‘Lefkaritika’ began being produced. The village of Lefkara was the principle summer resort of wealthy Venetians and it is believed that the local women would have come in contact with their household linen. With their keen minds, sharp eyes and deft fingers, they soon copied and adapted the old Italian white needlework containing the cut-work, drawn thread and fillings common in Italy, particularly in Venice, during the 16th century. Lefkara women would create beautiful bodices, dresses and cloaks, not only in linen but also in silk.
It is even reputed that Leonardo Da Vinci, during a visit to Cyprus, was so impressed by the Lefkara women’s adaptation of Venetian embroidery that he took ‘the river’ design back to Italy to grace the Milan Cathedral altar. The design is known as the ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’ design to this day.
