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.
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.
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.
