Alpaca wool: Types, properties and clothes

Alpaca wool

Have you ever heard about alpaca wool? Probably yes, but maybe you don’t know exactly how or what it is. Keep reading if you want to know about this beautiful and luxury kind of wool that is considering the best of the world.

What is an alpaca?

The alpaca is a camelid from South America, but they are known as Peruvian animals. Only in this country lives more than 3.6 million of alpacas. Its fur is used for craftsmen to create pieces of clothing. The fleece of this animal is different of any animal wool, even the most famous, sheep wool. 

The alpacas are similar to llamas and vicuñas, a lot of them are camelids and live in the Peruvian Andes. The alpacas are smaller than llamas but bigger than vicuñas. Because of its height, the alpacas don’t weight too much, they can weigh between 55 kg and 85 kg. 

This friendly animal is a smart camelid, the alpaca can learn easily some basic orders. 

Types of alpacas

Even though there are so many alpacas in the world, there are only two alpaca varieties, the Huacaya and Suri.

Huacaya, this is the most common alpaca in Peru, at least there is a 90% of this camelids in this country. This fiber has a lot of shades, variety of natural colors. The alpaca fur is very bulky, curly and fluffy.

Suri, there is only a 10% of its population in Peru, turning them into a minority. Due to its shortage, the Suris don’t have a lot of variety in regard to the color of its fur, its range of colors is based on light brown, beige and white. The fibers of these alpacas are longer than Huacayas.

Baby alpaca wool, this is the most famous and this is because the fiber that is obtained is from the first shearing that is done to an alpaca in its life. The name doesn’t mean that the fur is from a baby, to cut its fur the animal has to reach the age of three years. The quality and smoothness of this wool makes the favorite of all alpaca lovers. 

Alpaca fiber properties:

Softness, elasticity and resistance are the main reasons why this is the best quality wool in the world. 

The softness is for the fineness of the fiber, the texture feels really good. Clothes made of this wool don’t retain water so if it rains the garment will not spoil.

Did you know that alpaca fiber is seven times warmer than sheep fleece? Yeah, this is true so if you’re looking for a garment to keep you warm during winter season you should considering get an alpaca garment, which is the warmest wool in the world. Also, the alpaca fleece is three times stronger than other fibers. Sometimes clothes made from alpaca wool can be pricey but don’t worry because this is an inversion, this pieces of clothing can last for many years. 

Are you an allergic person? Or Have you sensitive skin? If you are, you must have a garment of baby alpaca. This fiber is the best choice for you because is a hypoallergenic product, you don´t have to worry because unlike sheep wool, this wool won’t make you feel irritated while you are wearing it. 

Alpaca fur products are eco-friendly, this is another point in favor for this fiber. Its production is chemical-free that’s why this isn’t an aggressive product with the environment. 

For all these characteristics this is considered a luxury product.

The ancestral work of producing alpaca clothes

This activity is not something new, for three thousand years the people of the Andes started with this work. At first it was only done by women, but today, men and women are dedicated to produce clothes made from alpaca fiber. In the Inca Empire, the alpaca was valued for its fur and the properties it had, this was thousands years ago and these days nothing has changed, this fiber is the favorite for a lot of people around the world.

To many people this means their job because thanks to this they can earn money, support their family and take care of their animals, since these are those who provide the material to make beautiful clothes. 

Many countries export alpaca clothing but Peru is arguably the biggest exporter of clothes made from alpaca wool. 

You probably fell in love of all properties and benefits of the alpaca fiber. If you’re interested in alpaca garments, you should visit Tinkuy, this is an online shop where you’ll find alpaca wool clothing made by Peruvian artisans.

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