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PRESS KIT

Bold design yoga mats you leave unrolled

Natural rubber, cork and coconut fibre. Last updated 28 July 2026. For anything not covered here, write to hello@urca.shop. We answer the same day.

The one-line version

URCA produces high-performance yoga mats with a bold design, made to be left unrolled, because a mat you can see is a mat you use.

URCA ANIMATES yoga mat, The Kaiman, left unrolled on the floor of a green living room

Why the mats exist

Yoga mats all look the same. Beige, grey, apologetic. Equipment designed to disappear into a corner.

URCA starts from the opposite premise: if a mat is beautiful enough to leave in sight, you practise more. Not because you are more disciplined, but because the hardest part of any practice is the setting up, and a mat that is already open has removed it.

That is the whole thesis, and customers repeat it back without being asked. From a review: "I absolutely am obsessed, it's such a unique and spirit animal vibe mat."

Overhead view of a studio flat with a URCA Punk Lizard yoga mat left open on the floor between a desk and a bed

What is actually different about the product

Coir-infused surfaces. Coconut fibre worked into a polyurethane surface, on a natural rubber base. It creates mechanical traction rather than a chemical tack, so it grips from the first dry touch and keeps gripping when wet. Almost no other mat brand uses it. It is the ANIMATES and ZERO surface.

Artwork drawn, not licensed. The ANIMATES line is built around three animals, the Kaiman, the Praying Frog and the Punk Lizard, each standing for a different way of moving. Grounded, alert, unfiltered. They are drawn in-house, by the founder, and made to be looked at across a room. That is the point of the whole brand.

Four surfaces, four jobs. Most brands sell one surface in several colours. URCA sells four materials for four kinds of practice, and will tell you which one is yours before you spend anything.

Details nobody will ever see. Inside the cork mats there is a reinforced anti-tear mesh between the cork and the rubber. It costs more, it is invisible, and it is the reason the surface does not separate from the base the way cheap cork mats do. We could specify that because after twenty years living and working between Asia and Europe we choose a factory the way we choose a crew: by going, looking, and being able to tell the difference. The mats are made in China, by manufacturers we shortlisted in person, briefed at length, and worked with sample after sample until the material behaved the way we wanted.

Hands pressing into the raw cork surface of a URCA RAW yoga mat, Grrr pattern Corner of a URCA ANIMATES yoga mat curled back to show the black natural rubber base under the coir-infused surface Close-up of the URCA logo printed on the corner of the Punk Lizard yoga mat

URCA ANIMATES yoga mat, The Praying Frog, unrolled on a concrete path between rice paddies as two cyclists ride past

The range

Three URCA BREATH yoga mats laid out on a wooden platform beside a mountain lake

Line Surface Best for Price
ANIMATES Coir-infused PU on natural rubber One mat for everything, with a character on it €118
ZERO Coir-infused PU, no print Maximum grip, dry or sweaty €86
BREATH Laser-engraved matte PU Grip that sharpens as you heat up €92
RAW Raw natural cork on natural rubber Hot rooms, sweaty hands, no smell €84.50
HEAT (Da Mao) Microfibre suede on natural rubber Hot yoga and travel €76 to €92
Cork blocks 100% natural cork Support without foam squeak €19 to €24

Mats are 183 x 68 cm and 4.5 mm thick, 2.8 kg, carry strap included. Da Mao also comes in a 1.5 mm travel version. Cork blocks are 23 x 15 x 7.5 cm.

URCA RAW natural cork yoga mats, Grrr and Sinapsys patterns, unrolled side by side on volcanic rock

ANIMATES are not shy

Taken out onto the Navigli in Milan. Public pavement, full daylight, no apologies.

Handstand on a URCA Punk Lizard yoga mat on a bridge over the Navigli in Milan Standing balance on a URCA Punk Lizard yoga mat beside the Navigli canal in Milan Headstand on a URCA Punk Lizard yoga mat in a Milan street as a tram passes Backlit handstand on a URCA Punk Lizard yoga mat, Milan Front view of a URCA Punk Lizard yoga mat unrolled on a bridge in Milan Inversion on a URCA Punk Lizard yoga mat beside a row of city bikes in Milan

Headstand on a URCA ANIMATES yoga mat outdoors while three monkeys watch from the grass

They guide the practice, and every so often they steal the scene.

What customers say

30 verified reviews across the catalogue, averaging 4.8 out of 5.

"A brilliant mat. You can tell from the photos on the website that it's a good one. It offers excellent grip even when you start to sweat."
Alessandra G., verified buyer

"Wonderful yoga mat with eco natural rubber, fun design and nice colour. The grip is perfect and it is good for movement. Love it!"
Nuch N., verified buyer

"I love this mat, so why 'only' four stars? Mainly because of the weight, and because I was hoping for 10% more grip. However, the look and feel is STELLAR."
MJKN, verified buyer, 4 stars

Every review stays on the product page, four stars included. It is the fastest way to see what the mat is really like.

Forearm balance on a URCA RAW cork yoga mat, Sinapsys pattern, using two URCA cork yoga blocks

What to know before you choose

A mat is a personal object. Here is what to weigh, so you land on the right one first time.

Weight. 2.8 kg. That density is what keeps the mat flat and quiet on the floor, and it is the one thing reviewers mention. If you carry a mat across a city every day, ask for the 1.5 mm Da Mao instead of the ANIMATES.

Cork rewards sweat. It grips harder as it gets damp, which makes it superb in a hot room. For a slow, dry practice a coir-infused surface will feel better from minute one.

Natural rubber means latex. Every mat in the range has a natural rubber base, and a cork top does not change that. Worth knowing if you have a latex allergy.

Young brand, long practice. URCA was founded in 2025 and the store opened in February 2026. Behind it are two decades of building and running projects internationally, and fifteen years of Carlotta's own yoga practice shaping how a mat should feel under a body.

URCA ANIMATES yoga mat rolled back to show the natural rubber base beneath the printed surface URCA ANIMATES yoga mat, The Praying Frog, unrolled on a rock in the sea as a swimmer climbs out of the water

Who is behind it

URCA is Roberto Gianstefani and Carlotta Godio.

Roberto designs the product and draws the ANIMATES characters. He is an industrial designer by training and works as a creative director across film, design and spatial projects, with two decades of work between Asia and Europe for luxury houses, global brands, museums and events.

Carlotta runs everything the customer touches: orders, logistics, service. She and Roberto have been business partners for twenty years, she on client relationships and business development, he on the creative side. URCA works the same way. He makes, she runs. She has also practised yoga for over fifteen years, which is why the range is built around how different bodies actually move and not only around colours.

Growing with them is urcafam: the people joining the project as it goes.

Carlotta Godio and Roberto Gianstefani, founders of URCA

Facts

  • Founded 2025 by Roberto Gianstefani and Carlotta Godio. Store online since February 2026.
  • Sells to 27 European countries with free shipping, and the United States with shipping charged at checkout.
  • Largest markets Italy, then Germany, then the United States.
  • Range 10 mats and 3 cork blocks, from €19 to €118.
  • Materials natural rubber base throughout; coir-infused PU, laser-engraved PU, raw cork or microfibre suede on top.
  • Manufacturing China, with manufacturers selected in person.
  • Returns 30 days.

Hands and feet on a URCA RAW cork yoga mat, Grrr pattern, in low afternoon light on a wooden floor

For journalists and reviewers

Samples. We send review samples to writers and creators with published work in yoga, fitness, design or sustainability. Tell us how you practise, whether hot, dynamic, slow or travelling, and that is the mat we send.

Images. High-resolution product and lifestyle photography available on request, royalty-free for editorial use.

Interviews. Roberto and Carlotta are available for interviews in English and Italian. Full professional background on request.

Contact. hello@urca.shop

Story angles, if you need one

The mat you never roll up. Habit formation treated as a design problem rather than a willpower problem.

ANIMATES as a design system. Three characters for three different temperaments, drawn in-house rather than licensed from a pattern library.

Coconut fibre in a yoga mat. An unusual surface almost nobody else uses, and what it actually does.

Why cork grips backwards. A material that works better the more you sweat, and why cheap versions of it crumble.

The part of the mat nobody sees. What changes when the people choosing a factory have spent twenty years filming inside them.

URCA ANIMATES yoga mat, The Punk Lizard, unrolled on a concrete floor in raking sunlight A woman beside a URCA Punk Lizard yoga mat hung out in the sun