Alpaca blanket gray tones

This alpaca blanket from Brun de Vian-Tiran surprised us at first touch: incomparably soft and voluminous, it far exceeds our expectations of how fluffy and cuddly an alpaca blanket can be. Alpaca hair is already very fine by nature, and Brun also uses the highest quality material from the Andes: Alpaca hair is particularly fine, long and flexible - it takes a trained eye and a lot of experience to recognize such quality when buying. However, the secret also lies in the processing. In a multi-stage process - all work steps take place at the company headquarters in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue - the alpaca hair is loosely spun and twisted so that the yarn is very voluminous and still shows the long alpaca fibers. The alpaca blanket woven from this is therefore just as voluminous, which is further enhanced by roughening the surface of the fabric. This allows the blanket to store additional heat-insulating air while remaining extremely light.

Alpaca hair is one of the most valuable natural fibers of all. It is extraordinarily fine and yet very robust because its structure is adapted to the great climatic fluctuations of the Andean mountains, the home of the alpaca. Among other things, it is hollow on the inside, which gives it outstanding thermal insulation properties. Alpaca hair also contains very little lanolin and is therefore very well tolerated by everyone.

Wool processing has a long tradition in the Vaucluse region of Provence. The Manufacture Lainière Brun de Vian-Tiran in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (east of Avignon), the former center of textile craftsmanship in the region, bears witness to this. Many machines there were powered by the water of the Sorgue, and around 1800 there were over 60 fulling mills, spinning machines and looms. In 1808, Charles Tiran and his son-in-law Laurent Vian founded their mill on the banks of the Sorgue to produce woolen fabrics and blankets. The manufactory was given the name Brun de Vian-Tiran in 1886 following the marriage of one of Vian's granddaughters to Emile Brun. After the heyday of the region around 1900, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue had five large textile factories and many smaller, specialized workshops producing wool blankets, carpets, dress fabrics and special fabrics for the paper industry, at the turn of the millennium only one company was still working there: Brun de Vian-Tiran.

Today, the factory is run by the eighth generation. Pierre Brun and his son Jean-Louis uphold traditional skills, but are also committed to innovation and progress. In 1961, Brun de Vian-Tiran was the first weaving mill in France to produce a blanket made of pure mohair - a milestone in the history of the company, as the smooth hair of the Angora goat is extremely difficult to process when unmixed. Based on this know-how, other fine natural fibers such as alpaca, llama, camel and yak hair are processed, as well as rare materials such as cashgora and yangir. In 2009, the manufactory was recognized for its commitment to preserving traditional techniques and machines with the state award "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant". Today, Brun de Vian-Tiran is one of the few weaving mills in France that still work entirely at the company headquarters. Textiles of the highest quality are produced there in an average of 15 work steps.