About Alpaca
History
Part of the camelid family, the Alpaca is related to the Vicuña, Llama, and Guanaco, and thought to be a cross between Llamas and Vicuñas bred around 6,000 years ago.
The alpaca was the crown jewel of Inca civilisation. Prized for their fibre and for their importance in transporting belongings through the Andes mountains. Alpaca fleece, shorn once a year in the springtime was reserved solely for Inca royalty, and the animals were seen as a gift from Pachamama (Mother Earth).
Soon Alpacas were domesticated animals that provided both companionship and income throughout the Inca Empire. There are two breeds of Alpaca; Huacaya and Suri. 95% of Alpacas are Huacaya, featuring the familiar fluffy fleece, while Suri have a long, straight fleece that naturally forms into locks.
Benefits
Alpacas live high in the Andes mountains, facing large temperature swings from day to night. Over thousands of years, alpacas developed a remarkable fleece allowing them to live in these tough conditions.
Hot sunny days and freezing nights led to alpacas developing a thermoregulating fibre, trapping warmth for the night and allowing cool airflow in the day. Consequently alpaca clothing is lightweight and warm, filled with air pockets allowing cooling breathability - while also making alpaca odour resistant.
The fibre is also smooth due to unique scales at microscopic level, creating a soft texture that is superior to wool while allowing garments to be wrinkle free and water repellant.
Alpaca is also hypoallergenic due to the absence of lanolin, making it gentler on the wearer, the earth and safe for those with wool-allergies.
Environment
The absence of lanolin also means alpaca fibre doesn’t require intensive chemical cleaning unlike many other natural fibres.
Naturally a clean animal, their fleece requires very little processing once shorn, one of the many ways alpaca is far greener than other natural yarns. Sheep and goat farming for commercial use can do irreparable damage to the land through overgrazing and hard hooves, built for climbing and traversing rocky terrain, not soft pastures. Alpacas on the other hand roam freely through the Andean altiplano, with soft hooves, doing little damage to the grasses on which they graze.
When compared to wool, or industrial cotton farming, alpaca demands a lot less of the Earth’s natural resources. Being part of the camelid family, alpacas naturally consume less water. 1 kilogram of alpaca fibre saves 1100 litres of water when compared to 1 kilogram of wool. We wanted to craft a sweater that feels good to wear for life; alpaca lasts, meaning less need for replacement, and lower impact on the environment.
We are proud to work with this magnificent ancient fibre that is suited for the modern world.
