Iconic Blankets
Burel Factory's most iconic blankets are woven from 100% merino wool on our Lentz looms.
The Looms of Burel Factory
A Story Woven into Every Thread
Our historic looms carry more than a century of textile tradition, their rhythms echoing craftsmanship passed down through generations.
A legacy built by time.
Weaving the Future with Threads of the Past
Burel Factory was born from the restoration of the former Lanifícios Império wool mill, carrying forward a story rooted in centuries of Portuguese wool tradition. Most of our looms came from this emblematic factory and embody the patience and excellence that only memory and time can provide. Discover the heritage behind our craftsmanship.
Porto Looms
Built in the 1920s, our oldest looms came from Companhia Industrial de Fundição and are unique examples of Portuguese textile engineering. They are shuttle looms, and their most distinctive feature is a monumental patterning mechanism, almost as tall as a person, which makes it possible to weave the most intricate designs from historic pattern books still used today for pieces such as the Ethnos Blanket.
Lentz Looms
These eight looms, from Germany, date from the 1950s. Heavy and imposing, they are an extraordinary example of German mechanical engineering.
They are also shuttle looms, with a shuttle carrying the weft through the fabric to ensure a highly precise finish.
It is mainly on these looms that we produce Burel Factory's most iconic blankets.
Somet Looms
The Somet looms, made in Italy in the 1980s, were restored by Burel Factory after being recovered from the former Lanifícios Camelo factory.
Equipped with punched-card systems, a technology regarded as one of the earliest examples of automated programming, they stand out for their speed and efficiency.
Ideal for producing Burel fabric by length, they weave Burel in its raw state (known as Xerga) before it moves on to the finishing process.
Nuovo Pignone and Sulzer Looms
Dating from 1990, these looms represent a new generation in the evolution of weaving. Instead of shuttles, they use a gripper system that carries the weft yarn directly across the loom, allowing us to work with a wider range of fabric weights, colors, and patterns.
This versatility is behind some of Burel Factory's most innovative textiles.
For more than a century, these looms have witnessed different generations and countless stories. Today, they are an essential part of Burel Factory's identity and of the way we carry this tradition forward: weaving the future with threads of the past.
