High up in the Andes mountains around the picturesque town of Cusco, Peru live millions of Alpaca. Peruvians have been making clothes from their wool (their hair cannot technically be called wool because they are not sheep) for centuries. Alpaca hair is shorn from baby alpacas and then made into the softest, most luxurious material that is then dyed and woven into beautiful scarves, shawls, coats, mittens, hats, and even socks. Alpaca products are not as abundant in supply as cashmere or wool and so they are considered more valuable. There are only around 4 million Alpacas in the world compared to 450 million cashmere goats! The benefits of choosing Alpaca products over cashmere are plentiful: while both are 100% natural products, Alpaca is more durable than cashmere. Alpaca doesn’t pill like cashmere or wool, it is soft yet very durable-only silk is stronger than Alpaca, and it’s much rarer than cashmere which adds to its value.
Just like there are cheap, imitation cashmere products on the market, there are also imitation Alpaca products made from a mixture of Alpaca and synthetic materials. When sourcing these Alpaca products, I went straight to the manufacturer. In the photo below you can see Bernabe showing me her workshop where these beautiful Alpaca products came from. She also gave me a demonstration on how to tell the difference between real alpaca and synthetic. First- alpaca wool is cooler to the touch than acrylic. Second-it’s heavier than synthetic. Third-super bright colors are more likely to be synthetic. Fluorescent colors like chartreuse or magenta are synthetic. Alpaca products are most often made in the natural hues of the wool and are dyed only using natural products. And finally alpaca fibers burn like hair or feathers and smells like it too. Synthetic or acrylic fibers bead up when burning because they contain plastic. You can trust the quality and authenticity of our Alpaca scarves and shawls. Their lightweight (but warm) nature makes them perfect for any climate!