VAL DI FUNES
THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND THE SHEEP
People are connected by their shared traditions and interests, as well as their social, linguistic and moral links. For a few years now, the idea of promoting the breed of local sheep has been bringing together breeders, mountain farmers and government figures. The Villnösser Brillenschaf (literally ‘sheep with glasses’) has a white coat, half black ears and two black circles around its eyes. This is the oldest breed of sheep from South Tyrol and it is easy to spot on the alpine pastures because it looks as if it is wearing a pair of glasses. It is an endangered breed, but it has survived thanks to the passion of the local inhabitants who have so carefully protected it. For a few years now, Salewa has also been purchasing and spinning Villnösser Brillenschaf wool, which represents a wonderful collaboration for both parties. The wool has been incorporated into both the company’s material research and development studies and into the South Tyrolean brand’s products. In this way, it acts in the interests of this mountain community, to the great satisfaction and delight of the many shepherds and breeders who, in turn, bring a sense of optimism to their families and to everything related to running and managing the farmstead.
LIFE ON MOUNTAIN PASTURES
MOUNTAIN PASTURES AS PLACES OF COMFORT FOR EVERYONE
The sheep with glasses with their special rough wool need to live in a comfortable habitat all year round. Unfortunately the valley’s main mountain pasture has gradually been deteriorating over the last few decades. It is only recently that shepherds and a handful of volunteers have attempted to improve the situation, yet there has been a shortfall of maintenance to the extent that the traditional transhumance of flocks in the high alps during the summer months and normal grazing at high altitudes is at risk. Today, more than 50 farmers breed the Villnösser Brillenschaf and from mid-May to mid-September the sheep must remain in the mountain pastures. There, the climate is milder, the sheep can eat different types of high altitude grass while keeping the undergrowth and grazing land in order with their agility, even as far as under the rocks, without destroying the terrain. It is only later, in the autumn, that they move to the valley to graze on the meadow grass until winter arrives, at which point they are taken to be housed in the stables in Val di Funes.
COMMITMENT
SALEWA’S SUPPORT
The mountain with its small shelter is located at 2,120 metres. It is set within a fantastic landscape made up of stunning hilly terrains and clearings bordering the forest. The old, crumbling building, lacking in equipment and made of wood that is now weathered, jumps out at you immediately. There is no space for sheltering and caring for the animals. It lacks a small area for a shepherd’s day-to-day work and for conducting a dignified and healthy seasonal life in the high alps. It takes more than 40 minutes just to get to and from the spring and that is why we are working to make the water more accessible, in addition to renovating the entire mountain cottage. Salewa wants to be part of this great renovation project. Bringing an important summer mountain pasture back to life, helping to create a new mountain cottage, while making it more comfortable and better equipped. Vital improvements to be able to continue creating outstanding garments using pure materials, where the people feel adequately supported and motivated to continue a business that was extremely important in the past, and which has a fair and sustainable future in its sights.
THE DISTINCTIVE FEATURE
BUT WHY WOOL?
Wool is a natural textile fibre that comes from sheep fleece. Salewa’s aim was to reconnect with the land, returning to the brand’s roots by spinning and processing sheep’s wool once again. Nature knows how to be a great teacher, so much so that wool has the ability to adapt to and support human warmth: it protects you, it doesn’t get too hot, it holds humidity and then releases it. These features are crucial for anyone who spends a lot of time in the mountains because it is an environment in which you experience all types of weather conditions: shade, sun, rain, wind. And that is why wool has always been considered a precious form of protection. It had gotten to the point that people were being paid for wool to be disposed of, fuelling enormous waste and disrespecting both the farmer and the land. We needed to find a native wool that was connected to the people who live and breathe the mountains every day. The Villnösser Brillenschaf breed of sheep has very coarse wool that is more resistant to the winter cold. This initially produced limitations of roughness and ‘fit’. It had to be made softer and easier to pack away in backpacks on outdoor adventures. It was not easy feat to get ultra-light wadding. In fact, we had to make a modern and extremely technical product, yet one that was also rooted in tradition. Salewa’s ambition only made sense if we were able to create new ‘local technologies’, thereby remaining in contact with the people who produce the wool themselves, in order to understand how sheep are kept and reared in the wild, then selecting a certain purity of the product alongside the breeder. Salewa believes in this project because it is a material that displays a ‘real’ part of mountain life. The human factor between the animal and its ‘guardian’. For Salewa, the key to a good, long-lasting collaboration is respect for the product and the mountain farmer. It is only by safeguarding all these components that we can hope for a better future.
