Where does Alpaca wool come from?
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Where does alpaca fibre come from?
Alpaca fibre, also commonly known as “alpaca wool”, is the processed or unprocessed product from the hair of the alpaca. The alpaca is an animal of the camelidae family originating from South America, especially Peru, where we find about 70% of the world's alpaca population.Not only in Peru, however, can we find alpacas.
"Alpaca wool"
The countries with the most alpacas in the world
As mentioned earlier, the country at the top of the list is definitely Peru, where we can find alpacas especially in the Andean regions, where the altitude becomes extreme and where the temperature is cool all year round.The Cordillera of the Andes also spreads to other states, where we find a good presence of alpacas, such as Bolivia and Ecuador. Some specimens can also be found in the more inland areas of Argentina and Chile.The fashion also leads us to find alpacas in certain parts of Italy, obviously destined for special farms that give their visitors the opportunity to walk and feed these beautiful animals.
How is alpaca fibre obtained?
Alpaca fibre is obtained, as with many other fibres, through the shearing of alpacas. Shearing must be done gently and carefully so as not to damage the animal's hair and to obtain a product ready for processing. In some situations and in rural communities, it is decided to sacrifice the animal in order to obtain not only its hair, but also its skin.We can divide the processing of alpaca fibre into several steps:
Shearing: is usually done manually, to avoid damaging the fibres and injuring the animal. Shearing usually takes place before spring in order to prepare the alpaca for the warmer season. From each alpaca, depending on its age and size, about 2 to 4 kg of fibre can be obtained ready for processing.
Evaluation: The fibres obtained are evaluated according to their quality. The most valuable fibres, usually found in the neck and back part of the animal, are selected for the production of high quality garments. Less valuable fibres, e.g. from the belly part of the alpaca, are reserved for more “coarse” processing or where pure quality is not required.Obviously, the quality of the fibre also depends on the age of the animal and its habitat.
Cleaning: cleaning the alpaca fibre is done manually and attempts to remove most of the impurities from the wool. An attempt is also made to untangle the fibre to make it softer and also to prepare it for the next process: carding.
Carding: The fibres are then aligned, disentangled and separated.
We now have a semi-finished product ready to be spun and used in the production of exceptional garments, such as you will find in our shop.
"Alpaca garments"
Since when has alpaca wool been processed?
Alpaca fibre has very ancient origins. Already in pre-Inca and Inca times, alpaca fibres were processed. We are talking about 5000 years ago, when wool and animal hides were used to protect against the cold and weather. Alpacas were in fact considered sacred animals by these tribes, and in fact they called their wool “fibre of the gods”. Curiously and contrary to what we might think, the black alpacas were considered luckier than the others.As the ages passed, the processing systems evolved but always maintaining the traditional style that we can find today in the garments we wear.
"Alpaca fibre"
In conclusion, alpaca fibre has very ancient origins, as does its processing method. Alpaca wool mainly comes from the Andean regions in South America, namely Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. In fact, Peru is the world's largest exporter of alpaca garments, both in terms of quantity and quality. Our garments are produced in Peru by careful and experienced hands, so that the Andean spirit breathes into the people who wear them.
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