Her charming and sweet accent reveals her origins.
Just as her work speaks of her profound love for craftsmanship and natural fibers. Originally from the island of Gran Canaria, Elisa Padrón studied product design and specialized in weaving and color, working for various major brands. In 2021, she opened her workshop in Barcelona, creating handwoven tapestries. At the same time, she leads the creative direction of Cotlin Raw and teaches at IED.

We spoke with her after she joined the prestigious Homo Faber network. This renowned foundation aims to highlight artisans and designers who create high-quality handcrafted pieces.
A recognition that will undoubtedly not be her last!

Cotlin: How did your interest in textile design begin?

Elisa: It arose from the need to reconnect with my roots. After spending a few years in France working on experimental design projects and color strategies, I felt the need to refocus on a more tactile and artisanal product.
I began designing handcrafted rugs, and the manual process captivated me. Textiles have always been part of our daily lives; it’s one of the oldest manual crafts, which makes it familiar and approachable.
Starting to design rugs without being an expert opened up many formal possibilities for me. Now, after more than a decade dedicated to this craft, I am still motivated by the endless combinations of fibers and the sequences they create when woven.

C: What cultural influences, philosophy, or values guide the design and production of your pieces?

E: My work seeks to elevate humble materials. I use Canary Island plant fibers in their most raw state, almost unprocessed or dyed. I believe that handmade pieces have the power to make us slow down and appreciate the beauty of imperfection. Every tapestry I weave manually tells a story that connects my Canary Island roots with the space it will inhabit. Locally produced with care, the inspiration comes from the natural elements that surround us. I believe that recovered materials have the potential to transform into high-quality products.

C: Where do your tapestries find their homes?

E: My tapestries inhabit contemporary interiors seeking honesty, identity, and simplicity. As a designer, I feel a responsibility to propose a timeless product where natural, high-quality materials take precedence and only improve with time.

C: How do you decide on the color palettes and textures of your pieces?

E: Undyed plant materials shape an evolving color palette: the copper of the philodendron, the toasty hues of banana fiber, the beige of dry dragon tree leaves. Wool brings soft whites, and black adds modernity and rhythm.
I look for unusual material combinations (wool-philodendron, linen-banana fiber) to create contrast. In mural tapestries, I explore expressive possibilities that rugs, being more functional, don’t allow. I aim for the manual intervention to remain visible, giving the tapestries a tactile and volumetric component.

C: What role does research play in developing your collections?

E: Research is a constant process that allows me to propose new creative directions and concepts. I’m interested in crossovers with other manual techniques like embroidery or basketry. Understanding the origin of a fiber, from seed to loom, and its cultural particularities in transforming raw material fascinates me.
Each culture brings its unique touches to the weaving process. Being present at the looms enables me to learn and gather those subtle identities, translating them into contemporary proposals for the collections.

C: Tell us about your creative process when designing rug collections for Cotlin Raw.

C: Highlight a Cotlin Raw collection you are particularly proud of and explain why.

E: Ink is a graphic flat-woven kilim in Afghan wool. We alternated undyed sections with colored geometric patterns. Kilim is one of the most traditional techniques we use. I aimed to connect gestures from the past with more contemporary lines.

C: What does “The New Ancestral” mean to you?

E: The New Ancestral is a tribute to the manual wisdom we’ve inherited from artisanal crafts. It’s a proposal that looks forward without forgetting its roots.

C: Finally, tell us more about your inspiration or references.

E: I am fascinated by the work of Sheila Hicks, an American textile artist based in Paris, for her ability to produce textile proposals over the years, always imbued with identity.
I am always captured by the spaces designed by César Manrique, a multidisciplinary artist from the Canary Islands. He incorporated local materials such as stone, wood, ceramics and integrated his works into the natural environment in a harmonious way, with a very controlled use of light and respecting the volcanic landscape.