An Alpaca, is a beautiful creature called a Camelid. Alpacas are descendants of camels and related to Llamas, Guanacos, and Vicuna. They evolved thousands of years ago and developed a fine hair with remarkable: softness, fineness, breathability, thermal adjustability, stretchability, and strength.

Alpaca live at very high altitudes in the Andes of South America, and a typical day can range between: -5°F to 75°F. Because of their harsh environment, Alpaca fiber contains microscopic air pockets, that adjust to allow breathability on a warm day or provide insulation on a cold day. Alpaca contains no lanolin, making it 100% organic. Alpaca fiber has no guard hair, free from cuticle, which makes it as soft as fleece and won’t cause any itching, thus too, Alpaca is hypoallergenic.

Most people are familiar with Cashmere.
Here is how the Textile commission equates Alpaca to Cashmere:
    1. Thermal Insulation: Better than Cashmere
    2. Wrinkle Resistance: Better than Cashmere
    3. Water Absorption: Similar to Cashmere
    4. Shrinkage: Less than Cashmere

In Inca time, Alpaca’s were a valuable commodity. They were the first recorded form of currency. The wealthiest of society were revered for the numbers of Alpacas they owned and Alpacas became the status symbol of the culture.

The garments you see here are one-hundred percent pure Baby Alpaca, the first shorn fiber produced by an Alpaca. Which in Inca times was reserved for royalty only. Punishment for wearing Baby Alpaca by anyone other than the elite of the society was harsh, sometimes even death. We are happy to bring it to you today, free of punishment.

The Story: A crazy Coloradian got the idea to ride his bicycle from Lima, Peru to Rio de Janerio Brazil over the course of a year. After being hit by a bus, his bike completely damaged, and no replacement parts to be found, his itinerary changed. And thank God it did, because he met his future wife smack in the middle of it all. So the Coloradian and the Cusquenian married, and settled in Carbondale, Colorado. It turned out that the Cusquenians mom owned many Alpaca in the south of Peru, and like to make sweaters from their first sheering. This, our second season, has turned out thirty-six, original baby alpaca sweaters. We hope you enjoy this wonderful garment.