VITAL PIRINEUS expresses the ancestral culture of the Pyrenees in austere, beautiful and responsible products with the territory and the history of the place using natural fibers and materials such as wool, linen and wood.

Vital was born in 2019 from the collaboration among Timoteo Ccarita Sacaca, Vicenç de Asnurri and Albert Gomà i Sala (“Vi ” by Vicenç + “T” by Timoteo + “AL” by Albert = VITAL). They are the entrepreneurs of VITAL, “connectors of people and diverse initiatives. Timoteo Ccarita Sacaca is a master weaver, researcher of natural dyes and trainer of weavers from Pitumarca, in Cuzco (Peru); he is responsible for the preservation of the Inca culture maintaining the original designs and techniques in the preparation of the wool and its subsequent weaving. Vicenç de Asnurri,is an artist who lived in a small town in the Pyrenees, Asnurri, and collaborates in the initiative as artistic advisor. Albert Gomà i Sala, whose father comes from the High Pyrenees, leads the project.

VITAL PIRINEUS is:

Austere: sober, without excesses.
Rustic: related to the countryside and the mountains.
Rooted: with roots in the territory and cultural legacy.
Refined: subtle, tasteful, fine.
Sustainable: responsible with the environment and people.

Vital draws its inspiration from the pastoral culture of the Pyrenees, where the mountain is the central axis. For centuries, mountain shepherds have handcrafted their objects with materials, colors, aesthetics and design patterns linked to nature and to the particular characteristics of the mountain landscape. Throughout the XX century, mountain culture has been marginalized by the pressures of globalization and centralization. Vital aims to reverse this trend by proving that mountain culture from the pyrenees is not only alive but has a lot of lessons to teach to the modern world.

By collaborating with small rural communities in Andorra and Catalonia, Vital adds value to materials that have been overlooked in recent history while elevating a rich culture centered around animals, natural materials and the rhythms and nuances of the seasons.

Vital presents limited editions made from mountain materials such as wool, linen, wood and natural fibers. Before, wool had value, then meat and finally, milk; today it is the other way around. Vital is an example of resilience and commitment to sustainability, it has proven that pastoral farming rooted in the territory is possible, along with better artisanal and innovative uses of local wool.

About thirty families from the Pyrenees participates in the project. The families preserve a small flock of barbarina breed sheep, also called the "rouge du Roussillon,” a traditional breed in the Pyrenees, mostly in Andorra, dating back to the XIX century. The barbarian is a rare and endangered breed.

We collaborate with a dozen artisans from the north of the Iberian Peninsula to make our products. We make our fabrics through the highest quality processes. The whole process takes place in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, from the collection of wool, washing, weaving to sewing. We obtain fabrics of high quality, fineness and durability thanks to the use of traditional finishing processes. The fabrics follow a traditional "abatanado" (fouling) process with hammers for 48 hours in water. Finally, the fabrics are hung and dried in the sun.

We handmade the pillows, capes and bags, piece by piece.