Brand new at South Pacific Berets: Boinas Portuguesas, of 100% burel from the Sera da Estrela!
Burel is a 100% woven wool felt, made from Bordaleira sheep wool. This breed lives only in the Serra da Estrela region, the highest mountains in Portugal and is capable of growing extremely resistant but still pleasant to the touch fibres.
In the heart of Portugal’s Serra da Estrela lies the village of Manteigas. Shepherds have lived in these mountains since the 12th century and the village is characterized by the weaving industry and manufacturing of burel cloth, an ancient tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation.
The sheep of the Serra da Estrela have allowed humans to settle this inhospitable part of Portugal by providing wool, milk and meat for many centuries and until recently, the region’s economy was fully based on sheep’s products.
It was the constant and unlimited supply of fresh water to wash the wool and drive the machines and looms (pre-Industrial Revolution) that enabled the industry to flourish in Manteigas.
With the introduction of synthetics and cheap imports from overseas, the burel industry went into decline and almost disappeared, throwing entire families into poverty and causing many to move to the cities or abroad.
The most important wool factory in the region was Lanificio Império (1947). This factory was bought in 2010 by two keen hikers and mountain explorers, João Tomás and Isabel Costa, who, after realizing the heritage and the cultural value of the space, decided not to let burel die and proceed with the recovery of the factory that became ‘Burel Factory’.
Burel Factory continues using the same machines and traditional equipment, ensuring the production of unique, different and high quality fabrics, preserving the past, reinterpreting it and making it into a story of the future.
At South Pacific Berets now the Burel Boinas Portuguesas in the original Sarrubeco (natural) and the custom made colours 'Jeans' and 'Exército verde' (Army Green).
No comments:
Post a Comment