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What is alpaca?

Alpacas are social herd animals that live in family groups. They are often confused with their close relative the llama and are also cousins to the camel as they are all from the camelid family. Alpaca fur is much longer and finer than llama fur which is a thick wooly coat. They are quiet, intelligent and easily trained animals that provide a fleece and a variety of services to their owners, such as guarding sheep from wild animals. Alpacas can sometimes be aggressive if threatened, but overall are very gentle, intelligent and extremely observant animals. They are very adaptable to different climates and terrains.

Venture Latin

Alpaca Facts

There are around 4 million alpacas worldwide and 96% of this population is found in Latin America – particularly Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Alpaca fur is very sustainable. A single Alpaca can provide enough fur for four sweaters, whereas it takes four goats fur to produce one sweater of cashmere.

Alpaca fleece is warmer than Merino Wool, wicks moisture off of your body at an 85% greater rate than Merino Wool, is the most eco-friendly natural fiber, is softer than cashmere and is antimicrobial 

Alpaca fur is water repellent due to the hollow fibres, which traps heat and pushes water away through evaporation 

Alpaca comes in 22 natural shades of colour from white, black, rose, grey, silver and brown; which reduces the need for dyeing the fur for most colours.

Alpaca fur is of very high quality and more durable than cashmere in some cases due to the length of the fibres. 

There are two main breeds of alpacas. Suri and Huacaya. Huacaya make up for around 90% of the total population and Suri which accounts for about 10%. Suri fur is much rarer and is straighter (and grows in locks) than Huacaya fur which grows in bundles.

FAQs

Alpaca wool is very warm due to the hollow fibres which trap heat. This makes it up to five times warmer than sheep wool.

Alpaca fur is more durable than sheep wool and cashmere due to the length of the fibres. Cashmere fibres are 4 centimeters long, whereas alpaca fibres are between 8-12 centimetres long, which makes them more durable and resistant to their counterparts

We recommend only dry cleaning 100% alpaca products (do not use the solvent trichlorethylene to dry clean). However they require minimal cleaning due to the nature of alpaca fur which do not contain any oils or suint, unlike sheep wool.

Alpaca fur is 18-23 microns in softness and compared to cashmere at under 19 microns. This makes it just as soft as, or softer than Cashmere

Yes! Alpaca fur is antibacterial and antimicrobial. Their fibre kill bacteria. The thin waxy coating of the wool fibres contains fatty acids that inhibit the growth of mold, mildew and bacteria.

There are two main types of alpacas. Huacaya and suri. Suri alpacas account for less than 10% of the worldwide population, whereas huacayas are more common.

Vicuña fur is very expensive as they are a rare and protected species that only produces half a kilo of fur every three years. Their fur is also much finer than alpaca and cashmere at around 13 microns, making it a lot better quality. 

Vicuña fur is much finer and softer than alpaca fur at 13 microns, compared to alpaca fur at 17-22 microns. It is also a lot rarer and better quality as well as lighter in weight. 

It is simply for the purposes of durability that we mix alpaca with merino wool and other materials. By itself, alpaca is too fine due the number of microns. A coat or poncho made of 100% alpaca would be too soft and this is why we blend it with other materials. Scarves, hats and gloves however can be made of 100% baby alpaca and we sell these products through our website currently.

Suri alpaca fur is of a different quality to that of other alpacas. It is better used in coats and some styles of scarves due to its shiny nature and its quality and warmth. It is warmer and has a smoother feel to traditional Huacaya alpaca fur which is more fluffy. 

Suri alpacas makes up for around 5% of the total alpaca population, hence their fur is more expensive. It is also of a different quality to huacaya as it is smoother and more of a dreadlocks style than your typical fluffy alpaca fur.

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