Jerga Utility Textile

Find it Here for $5.50/Yd

The term "jirga" probably doesn't ring a bell, but "drug rug" might. Drug Rug is the pejorative slang for the coarsely woven, striped hoodies commonly worn by professional music festival-goers looking to distinguish themselves from recreational amateurs. The simple hooded garments were introduced to the scene by surfers in the 1970s, who brought them back from adventures in Mexico and Baja.

The striped textile used as the base for these iconic hoodies is called Jerga, and in Mexico, it is sold at hardware stores. I first noticed it years ago, during a self-guided taco tour of Mexico City, when I entered a commercial district catering to the construction trades. Wandering the aisles of hardware stores a few Modelos deep, I was perplexed why all the shops had rolls of this beautiful striped fabric for sale. Over the next few days, I saw pieces of this distinctive striped textile everywhere. It was used as rags in restaurants, as makeshift doormats, and as shammy cloths by window washers.

Before leaving the city, I returned to the hardware store district and sought the shop with the largest selection of Jerga fabric. In Mexico, this utilitarian cloth is cheap. I rolled yards off various bolts and piled them all onto the counter until it was absurd. Nearby, I found an inexpensive, roomy duffel bag to schlep the haul back to my screen-printing studio in Rhode Island. I was good at splashing water and making messes, and deployed it immediately. Small piles of colorful rags were scattered everywhere, bestowing warmth and joy on my cold, cavernous space. Because the fabric is durable and becomes softer with washing, I laundered the rags and towels frequently. When it was time to pack everything up and move it to California, you better believe all my Jerga rags made the trip.

You can find Jerga fabric on Etsy or at utilitariomexicano.com, but because of shipping and other costs, its utilitarian appeal is slightly diminished by the cost of acquiring it in the USA. However, since the hardware store of my dreams is unencumbered by sourcing, tariffs, or shipping, there would be meters upon meters of various colors and stripes for the tried and true utilitarian Mexico City price.