As Capuchinhas

Who doesn't remember the girl from Little Red Riding Hood? But the story of these four Capuchinhas is a different one! We promise it ends well. And that no huntsmen are needed.

These Capuchinhas grew up in the Serra de Montemuro, the eighth highest mountain range in Portugal, in the north of the Viseu district. In the 1980s, when emigration was often the fate of young women from the interior, a course in cutting and sewing changed the path of these friends and gave them confidence in a future in their own country. This is how the As Capuchinhas cooperative was born. The name comes from the traditional Capucha, the cape worn by the mountain shepherds to protect themselves from cold and rain.

   

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Today, with their workshop in Campo Benfeito – a small village in the Serra de Montemuro – they produce clothing in burel, linen and wool, using hand looms and traditional techniques. But the design is contemporary and original, signed by Paula Caria.

The linen, 100% biodegradable, in its raw or white state, is used in hand-knitted and hand-woven pieces. It all begins with warping the loom: the threads are arranged in parallel before being woven.

The wool comes from the Serra da Estrela, also 100% Portuguese and biodegradable. It is used in its natural colours – white, brown or mottled – or dyed with natural resources from the village: lichen for yellow, walnut leaves for brown, and ferns and nettles for green.

With these colours, they create knitted and woven pieces that bring warmth on cold days and nights. And there is burel, pressed wool, used in the traditional Capucha. Also 100% biodegradable and from the Serra da Estrela, it is waterproof and ideal for harsh winters. Traditionally brown, today it comes in various colours and applications.

The work of As Capuchinhas is a legacy: it preserves traditions and craft art, passing on experience and knowledge to future generations. Every piece from the Campo Benfeito workshop is a tribute to these craftswomen who decided not to leave and set up the Cooperative.