This is how our product manager introduced us to this poncho made from the softest, finest baby llama. And that was almost an understatement. Its fineness and softness is very similar to that of baby alpaca and even cashmere in the quality used here. This is hardly surprising, as llamas and alpacas are related: They belong to the camel family and both live in the South American Andes, where they have adapted perfectly to the harsh living conditions at an altitude of 2,000 to 4,000 meters and the large temperature fluctuations there. Among other things, their coat consists of hollow fibers, which have very high heat-insulating and temperature-regulating properties.

The fine baby llama comes from the very first shearing of the young animals. Their fleece consists of around 25 to 30 percent very fine hair and 70 to 85 percent guard hair. The latter is much more robust and coarser and is sorted out because only the fine, long hair, which is also very flexible, can be processed into such a soft, flowing, warm and very light fabric as this poncho. Babylama occurs naturally in different colors, so it does not need to be bleached or dyed. Brun de Vian-Tiran processes the precious natural hair entirely at the company headquarters in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, from spinning to weaving, finishing and tailoring.

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.