In order to first understand the overall essence and great features of alpaca fibre, it is necessary to comprehend the identity and characteristics of the alpaca.
The alpaca is a domesticated camelid species which is native to many countries in South America, including but not limited to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile.
An alpaca resembles itself as a smaller version of a llama and a smaller version of a camel, which unlike the camel who lives in extremely hot and desert climate conditions, the alpaca is instead directly native to cold weather and very high altitudes in the mountain regions of South America, with average temperatures of about 10 to 20 degrees Celsius and altitudes up to 5,000 meters above sea level.
One of the most fascinating characteristics of the alpaca is the fact that it is solely and especially bred for its great fiber, which is known worldwide as alpaca fiber.
The alpaca fleece is a natural fiber that grows on the alpaca, the fiber in itself is a very lustrous and completely natural fiber that is warmer, more luxurious and more comfortable than regular sheep wool. It also contains no lanolin, a greasy substance that adheres to the wool of many fibers and wool bearing animals, in which the alpaca is one of very few animals that do not have this characteristic, improving the overall appeal and structure of its fiber once it is commercialized for many products.
- Alpaca fiber has been categorized as being existent in over 52 different classified colors in many South American nations, with other classified colors established in the United States, Europe and Australia.
- Its unique softness, uniqueness and high durability make the alpaca fiber a great alternative for the textile industry as well as for customers who prefer different products made from natural products and offer better features and characteristics than other existing natural fibers.
A very favorable characteristic of alpaca fleece is the fact that the fleece is a renewable resource which does not compromise the life of the alpaca in order to be recovered.
The alpaca does not have to be slaughtered in order to obtain its fleece and produce it into alpaca fiber; the fleece grows progressively at a constant rate between many different breeds of alpaca and effectively incorporates an adequate level of sustainability in terms of the environment and the overall nutrition given to the alpaca.
Process for obtaining alpaca fiber
- Cutting the fleece of the alpaca by using a specialized alpaca fleece cutter or scissors.
- Cleaning and Brushing: Rinsing the raw wool in hot water with a light form of detergent, letting it dry for a few days and then brushing it with a specialized form of brush adequate for wool brushing.
- Once all the debris, dirt and contaminants are effectively taken out from the fleece, the process of spinning must be incorporated into the raw alpaca wool.
- The last process in alpaca fiber creation is weaving. This process is basically the transformation of alpaca wool, fleece and fiber all combined in order to produce a fabric or cloth that can be effectively applied or produced into various types of products.
- Dying can take the form of either natural dying or synthetic dying, which basically take the natural alpaca fibers and transform them to a very specific type of color without compromising its structure, texture, size or shape whatsoever. The dying process can also be done by specialized machines or done manually.
with a specialized form of brush adequate for wool brushing.