Through centuries the alpaca has had a central roll in the life of a large part of the population in Peru and partly in the surrounding countries. Both before, during and after the glory days of the Incas.

Just like the lama the alpaca is a member of the camel family and they live primarily on the level heights of the Peruvian Andes at an altitude of 3500 to 5000 meters above sea level.

The alpacas are kept as domestic animals often by poor families of Indian descent. A typical herd consists of 50 to 150 animals, but you will also find farms that have thousands of alpacas. During the day the herd is normally kept under surveillance. They are driven up in the mountains in the morning and at night they are kept in paddocks.

The alpacas are cut once a year, which results in typical 3 to 5 kilo of wool. The alpaca need the warm wool through the winter, where the temperatures can drop under minus 25 degrees. Therefore, they are cut during spring for the first time at the age of 2 to 2½. The older the animals are, the poorer the quality of the wool gets. The alpacas can live up to the age of 20.

There are 2 types of alpaca breeds – the huacaya and the suri. The huacaya is the most known. The alpacas - which you see on the pictures – are huacayas. The wool from the huacayes are used in most of Pueblo collections. The suri is known for having very long fibres – often so long that they touch the ground. This suri fiber is used for making Royal Alpaca scarves.

There are approx. 4 million alpacas in Peru – almost 80% of the worlds total stock of alpacas. The main part of the remaining alpacas live in the surrounding countries such as Bolivia, Chile and Equador. The alpaca ist robust and thrives well outside South America. In America and in Australia they have large number of alpacas on their farms. And also in Scandinavia you find alpacas on a number of pastime farms or in the zoo.

Alpaca fleece is as soft as cashmere, warmer than sheep’s wool, hypo-allergenic and almost completely waterproof.

Alpaca fibers are completely hollow, whereas sheep’s wool only contains pockets of air. Much like polar bear fur, both fibers allow air to permeate the surface and become trapped inside for a warm wearing experience. Alpacas have an advantage over wool though because of the extra hollow space in the fiber. This additional space creates a greater thermal capacity and allows for more warm air to fill the textile and provide extra warmth over its sheep’s wool counterpart.

Alpaca is considered hypoallergenic because it lacks lanolin. Lanolin is traditionally found in sheep’s wool and irritates many wearers upon contact.

Alpaca fiber offers equivalent softness to cashmere, more warmth and higher wicking properties than merino wool, and is also hypoallergenic and eco-friendly.

The alpaca descends from the Vicuña. The Vicuña still lives as a wild animal in the South American Andes. The Vicuña does not thrive in captivity and it is known for having the finest and the most priceless wool in the world.