Today, to achieve the best possible quality, we work with 34 communities of breeders based between 4,500 and 5,400 meters above sea level, where the best quality alpaca is found.
Breeders sell alpaca fleece after the animal is shorn. Our partner communities are now able to sort and select alpaca fiber by quality , fineness and color. Most of the fibers are then machined to turn them into Tops, thick strands of fiber about 10 centimeters in diameter, before being transformed into threads. The rest of the fibers is directly spun by hand to make some of our throws, cushions and rugs. Thanks to this continuous development we are now able to work with the 24 natural colors of alpaca, without any dyeing or petrochemical process.
We are also working on another fiber with our partner breeders, merino wool. This wool is used for our Llasa collection, only available in the color ecru.
The pure range therefore includes the creation of our own yarns but also that of our furs. At high altitudes, temperatures vary between 25 °C during the day and -30 °C at night, and this throughout the year. In addition to these harsh conditions, there is the rainy season, wich lasts from January to March. Extreme temperatures combined with high humidity is fatal for some alpacas. Isolated sheperd families then suffer both sentimental and financial loss, as alpaca sheering is often their only source of income. As a result, we decided to put them in touch with the best furriers in the country, in the Sicuani region, to transform and enhance these furs.
It is from this process that the INATA fur product line was born. So in April, we know how much fur in wich colors will be available over the next twelve months. If the orders of one color exceed the quantity of furs available, we have to wait until the following year, hoping for furs in the required colors.
We us, when it comes to the cutting stage, all optimization techniques to minimize, in line with artisanal practice, fur scraps. Rather than being thrown away, we wanted to develop a range from these scraps. This is how Zorro el osito, the little alpaca fur bear, was born.