Discover the history of burel, the traditional Portuguese wool fabric.

Burel is a woolen fabric, traditional to the Serra da Estrela region and the central and northern interior of Portugal.

Burel is known for its high abrasion resistance and natural impermeability. It is a thick, rough, and coarse fabric, an excellent temperature regulator, and an insulator against both cold and heat.

Burel fabric is produced from the wool of the native sheep breeds Bordaleira Serra da Estrela, Churra do Campo, and Churra Mondegueira, which are the main native breeds of the region.

Burel capes are a fundamental garment for shepherds in the Serra da Estrela region due to their high protection against cold, rain, and snow. Their history dates back to the Middle Ages, where they were used as mourning clothes, but also as the fabric that clothed "the naked and buried the dead."

Burel is now recognized internationally, used not only in clothing and accessories, as in the Just Burel brand, where its application extends to footwear, headwear, and also design and decorative pieces.

Burel (a type of coarse wool fabric) is a historical pillar of the city of Covilhã, a city that established itself as one of the largest centers of textile production, particularly woolen products, in Portugal and Europe, thanks to the abundance of water, pastures for sheep, the wool route and transhumance, and the confluence of paths that led the flocks to the Serra da Estrela mountain range.

The story of Just Burel also begins in Covilhã, in the 3rd generation of a family linked to the trade of wool and raw materials for the textile industry.