Alpaca from Bolivia : Eco by nature

 

Our high-quality alpaca is produced, processed and knitted into fashionable Ethos Paris garments according to Fair Trade practices. Our partner in Bolivia is Altiplaneterre, an NGO run by Monica Zamora who sources her alpaca from a small cooperative of indigenous alpaca farmers in the high Andean plateau country. Monica runs a workshop in La Paz that trains and employs impoverished Bolivian women in hand-knitting and the operation of hand powered knitting machines. All Ethos Paris alpaca knitwear comes from this Fair Trade group.

 

Ethos chose alpaca for its superb quality and “green” origins as a textile fiber. Naturally hypoallergenic, alpaca fleece is silkier than sheep’s wool and bears no lanolin. Similar to hair in structure, its soft fibers have a hollow core that gives the fleece excellent insulation properties. The “prickle-free” fleece contains minimal guard hair and is free from cuticle and dander. Alpaca is naturally glossy but unlike wool, does not cause itching when worn against the skin.

 

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Monica Zamora had already established her small enterprise in La Paz when she met Ethos founder Ann Leroux in Paris in 2005. Like Ann, Monica had worked in the international corporate world and become disillusioned with the destructive forces of free-market capitalism. The desire to do something honest and to sell products that she believed in had convinced her to quit her job and establish a knitwear activity in La Paz. An avid knitter and natural teacher, Monica recruited local women and began teaching them how to knit. Her idea was to make knitwear that would sell in Europe. 

 

By applying the skills she had learned in the corporate world and combining forces with Ethos Paris to create Altiplaneterre, Monica was able to expand from hand knits into machine knitwear and develop the cooperative into a genuine outpost of Fair Trade that produces top-notch products. The marginalized people working for Altiplaneterre have flourished as their economic situation moves from precarious to one of stability with a decent living wage well above the norm. Their lives will improve even further with the planned introduction of a shareholding system.

 

In sourcing its alpaca from Bolivia, Ethos seeks to preserve this traditional system of agriculture, which is currently under threat by big business. Alpacas exported to countries such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, are now being raised industrially, a change that threatens to destroy the livelihoods of the indigenous Bolivian criadores.

 

 

 

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The alpaca is a small member of the camel family (camelides) that grazes the level heights of the Andes of Bolivia and neighboring South American countries. A gentle, curious creature, the alpaca is smaller than the llama and is valued for its fleece rather than as a beast of burden. The animals range freely on organic vegetation of the plateau country (altiplano) in the care of peasant farmers who have been raising them since pre-Inca times. When alpacas graze, they do not tear out plants by the roots but rather nibble at new shoots. They are also low emitters of greenhouse gases.

 

The average total fleece weight per animal is between 5-10 lbs for an adult shorn once per year. However, the prime fleece comes from the “blanket” area (across the back, upper sides and rump). The average weight of the blanket is about 3-4lbs. All of these weights are based on relatively clean fleeces with little debris and dust. Despite the fineness of the fibers, alpaca fleece is extremely durable. Woven alpaca garments have been discovered in remarkably good condition in Peruvian ruins dating back 2,500 years. 

 

The soft fine structure of alpaca enables spinners to produce quality yarn with comparative ease. It also comes in a wide range of natural colours (about 28), from pure white to black, with varying shades of brown, grey and apricot. Dyed, its easy colorability makes for a rich and unlimited palette of fashionable colors.

 

 

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Below are some useful comparisons.

 

·         Alpaca is softer and less irritating.

·         Alpaca will stay cleaner longer because it is lanolin free and does not hold dust.

·         Alpaca is thermostatically superior: If worn in a 0° F environment, alpaca would provide a 50°F comfort range
          vs. 30°F for wool.

·         Alpaca wicks away body moisture; synthetics do not.

·         Alpaca is flame resistant (will not ignite) and does not melt.

·         Alpaca emits virtually no static electricity compared to synthetics.

 

·         Alpaca’s thermal insulation is better than cashmere, which makes it a warmer fiber, pound for pound.

·         Alpaca is more resilient and more wrinkle resistant than cashmere.

·         Shrinkage of alpaca is far less than cashmere.