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Alpaga-huacaya-Suri-INATA-Alpaca

Alpaca’s History

From the camelid family, the best known species is the Llama and the wild species are the Vicuna and the Guanaco. Domesticated since the Incas, the Alpaca, whose name “alpaka” comes from the native language “Aymara”, is differsfrom its cousins by its smaller size, short ears and flat muzzle. The alpaca lives for 20 to 25 years. There are two types of alpacas : Suri and Huacaya. The latter have a higher pile density and a wispy feel, while the Suri Alpacas have long locks that are supple to the touch and infinitely soft.

The female alpaca, known as “hembra”, gives birth after a gestation of 11 and a half months to a single offspring. Tha baby alpaca known as “cria” weighs 6 to 9 kg at birth and will be on its legs 3 hours after its birth.

A rare fiber

Baby alpaca is the rarest, finest and most luxurious quality of alpaca. It does not come from baby animals, but from the first shearing of the alpaca, wich occurs when the animal is 1 to 2 years old, and also from a careful selection among thousands of animals across th Altiplano. This will be the finest quality produced by the animal.
Baby Alpaca is a fiber with many virtues, including wear resistance. Also, it offers a unique thermal effect against the skin, being 7 times warmer than mohair and 3 times rarer than cashmere. These virtues come from the natural qualities of the fiber. Finally, a unique quality of the alpaca, it comes in 24 natural colors and thanks to the process developed in partnership with the communities of breeders, it is these fibers of natural colors, without any dye, that we offer in our collections in 100% baby alpaca.

The result is a textile that retains its shape, resists pilling, and will last long enough to be passed on to the next generation.