Fibers

Thousands of years ago, when the Andean people first saw this species of animals roaming amid the wild landscapes of the cold, dry and high Andean plateau, they knew that these hardy animals would be the key factor to their survival.

Only with the help of South American camelids could they survive in such a remote land. They used their meat for sustenance and the used their fibers to make clothes to keep them warm in the cold and harsh climate of Andean highlands.

Llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicunas are definitely the Gold of the Andes. The appreciation of the latter species was such that only the inca himself and members of the nobility were allowed to use this wonderful fiber, THE FINEST IN THE WORLD.

From the every beginning of Peru's history, this breed of animals has been the central part of Peruvian art and culture.

Today, the main purpose of this fiber is the production of high quality textiles in order to obtain global recognition and achieve the enhancement of South American camelid fiber.

The World's Finest Fiber in microns

Species	Diameter in microns
Vicuña	10 to 12
Angora	11 to 15
Merino Wool	12 to 22
Cashmere	15 to 19
Alpaca	16 to 30
Guanaco	18 to 24
Camel	18 to 26
Llama	20 to 40
Mohair	24 to 40

The natural colors are varied, up to 22 colors having been defined, but they are more uniform than that of the llama. Alpaca colors range from white to black through grays, fawns and browns. This characteristic is not to be found amongst other natural fibers, the 'noble' fibers, used in textile production.

The fiber is classified exclusively by hand, according to its fineness and sorted into qualities such as Royal Alpaca (less than 19 microns), Baby Alpaca (22,5 microns), Super Fine Alpaca (25,5 microns) and Huarizo (29 microns).

The names of these qualities do not necessarily reflect the age of the animals or other phenotypic characteristics. The appellation 'Baby', for example, refers to products (sweaters, scarves, shawls, etc.) where the average fiber diameter is 22,5 microns. The fiber used to obtain this quality does not necessarily come from claves or "baby" animals; it could easily come from an adult animal with a very fine and soft coat of fleece.

The following are some of the textile properties of alpaca fibers:

• Non-flammability: The fiber will not burn unless it is exposed to open flame.
• Elasticity and strength: Alpaca fibers possess relatively high elasticity and strength, comparable to those of sheep's wool and other animal fibers.
• Hygroscopic properties: Absorption of ambient humidity is relatively low.
• Thermal properties: The structure of the alpaca fiber makes it an efficient thermal insulator, very useful in different climatic conditions.
• Felting: Alpaca does not felt as readily as sheep's wool or other animal fibers.
• Handle: The alpaca fiber has a structure which gives it a very soft handle (the touch or feel of the fiber), only comparable with to that of a high grade of sheep's wool, but three or four microns finer.
• Visual texture: Especially for overcoats, alpaca cloth exhibits an excellent drape, appearance, natural luster and handle; it will maintains its new appearance for a very long time.

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