It all began in 1947, the year that saw the birth of Lanificio Império, the most important wool mill in the region of Serra da Estrela. In 2010 the factory was discovered by two mountain explorers, João Tomás and Isabel Costa, who, after realizing the heritage and the cultural value of the space, decided not to let it die and proceed with the recovery of the space that now becomes Burel Factory.
Today it continues to work using the same machines and traditional equipment, from the time the industry was still made by hand, thus ensuring the production of unique, different and high-quality fabrics, preserving the past, reinterpreting it and making it into a story of the future.
Here we create a space for design and production of burel, the most traditional wool fabric in the local industry, now used in a very different and innovative way. From fabrics to fashion, interior design, architecture and even acoustic insulation.
Burel Factory represents a lifestyle. A legacy from the past applied in the present.
We operate as a vertical wool mill, handling the entire transformation process (carding, spinning, weaving, and design), producing burel wool as Burel Factory and other woollen tailoring fabrics as the brand Lanifícios Imperio (tweeds, flannels, meltons, bouclés, prince of wales…). The wool is sustainable and comes from local shepherds who comply with animal and nature protection standards. We are also proud to announce that we’ve achieved the certification for RCS blended - Recycled Claim Standard for our line of recycled burel.
