An Insight into the Alpaca Fiber: Origins and its Current Use

The Alpaca Fiber

Alpaca thread is a fiber spun from the fleece of the alpaca, a domesticated animal that comes from the  Andes in Southern Peru.  Noted for its glossy texture and its similarities to the merino wool, alpaca fiber is mostly compared to sheep wool because of its resemblance to physical hair.   Moreover, unlike ordinary wool yarns, the alpaca thread is more resilient but is soft and luxurious to look at.    It is also silky and durable and is proven to be hypoallergenic because of the absence of lanolin.  Other distinct characteristics of this fiber is that it is water-repellent, is difficult to burn and is able to maintain warm temperatures even when wet.  Designers nowadays chose the alpaca as an excellent choice of material and designed alpaca-based accessories that the world both see as practical and fashionable.

Origins

This fiber was primarily manufactured and used extensively by Amerindians for years in religious ceremonies and in everyday life .  Prior to its introduction to Europe as a commercial product,  the Amerindians used alpaca thread to weave alpaca capes which were worn extensively during the cold season in the Andes.     Spain, France and Germany were the first of the European countries that attempted its use  while England, on the other hand,  tried to produce its own but failed to fabricate a yarn  that was deemed suitable to use in fashion.  It was not only in 1836 that the alpaca started to be developed into the fabric that one knows of today due to the introduction of the cotton warp that allows one to synthesize alpaca yarn from raw alpaca fleece.   It was from then on that the technique of producing fiber were refined and further mastered until it is now possible for  clothing designers to make clothes like alpaca shawls and other popular items like alpaca ponchos and alpaca scarves.        

Current use

Since the use of the alpaca does not kill its source animal, the use of the alpaca fiber is now supported by environmentalists and philanthropic associations.  The alpaca thread has been recommended  and endorsed by green organizations as safe and eco-friendly.    Current research about the fiber itself show that the molecular structure of the alpaca fiber allows it to acts as an insulator and therefore make the fiber resistant to absorb of liquid materials like dye.    This was the case for many years until recent technology allowed manufacturers of the alpaca fiber to create clothes that are available in many shades of black, brown, silver and white. 

Nowadays alpaca fiber is marketed commercially as autumn and winter clothing in the form of alpaca wraps  for teenagers and adults  and other alpaca accessories  like baby alpaca shawls for infants and small children.   Designers like Armani, on the other hand, produce alpaca suits that are noted not only for its silky feel  but also for its sleek and stylish appearance.  Alpaca clothing is proven to be especially effective against the cold during cold climates and is very popular in Europe and the Americas.   As for the production of Alpaca thread, countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom are now major producers and exporters of this fabric and are known to sell this thread at the rate of $0.28 to $ 0.68 per oz.