An Alternative to Cashmere in Baby Alpaca

A boutique owner shared an interesting tidbit with me recently: baby alpaca is being touted as an attractive alternative to cashmere. According to one source, alpaca boasts "the softness of cashmere, the lustre and strength of silk, the lightness of goose feathers and the long-term durability of wool."  Designers like it for its "superior drape and handle," and eco-conscious consumers find comfort in the fiber's green reputation.

Additionally, alpaca fleece - which often comes from countries  with favorable exchange rates and duty-free imports to the US - is said to cost about 40 percent less than cashmere.

Retailers like the one I spoke with could likely do well marketing alpaca as the "new cashmere" now that consumers are realizing the limitations of the cheap versions of the latter that flooded the market over the past few years.

The best part? It's non-pilling! Further reading here and here. Illustration by Raewyn Haughton. 

Comments

[Amy]

I have a black winter hat knitted from baby alpaca wool, and it is amazingly soft and comfortable. It's held it's shape really well too!

[Rachel]

Oh no, I love alpacas :( if you check out my email it is actually llamaloveheart@gmail.com, thats how lame I am haha but OH NO :( That is a really beautiful picture by the way

[sahara]

Hey there! I came by your blog via Fashion Incubator. It's nice. It's also interesting how fashionista's (I work at the style mag for the NYTimes) are always laughing and sneering at us––then are usually very late at discovering what we as designer/spinners and knitters have long known. But buyer beware.

There is a reason Alpaca went out of style. That "drape" can produce a "bag" that doesn't return, as the fiber is non-elastic. And it DOES pill. All pilling is, is the shorter fibers coming to the surface of the fabric; this is an aesthetic issue that doesn't weaken the structure.

As the demand climbs, it's very easy to mix with wool for elasticity and you've never know, unless you were a spinner. Wool is comprised of the same cells as your hair––and you're not allergic to your hair, I hope. What folks are allergic to, is either the dye or the processes applied to wool, or they are sensitive to the coarseness of the type of fleece used.

While Alpacas have grown in number, they are still protected. Laura Piano plans to open their own farm, in the name of preservation. Yeah, right (why not help the Peruvian farmers who can use the money?) Do support the number of alpaca farm in the U.S. as they have a better life, in turn producing superior fleece. And guess what? Qiviut (musk ox down) is superior to ALL OF IT! IT'S REAL LUXURY!

[sahara]

Hey, I am not downing Alpaca; I just purchased 2-1/2 pounds of it to spin up into some lovely sweaters––but I'm an experienced knitter/spinner/designer who knows what I'm doing. The fashion community, along with marketers can be a bit slow and narrow in their thinking, as they don't grow or make what they style and market.

[Luxury]

I am not an animal right activist nor a promoter of animal leather goods...as long as no animal is hurt in the process, i believe Alpacas may have a potential int he fashion world!

[sassy flashy classy]

I am actually on the hunt for cashmere at the moment but this blog was totally interesting.

[Felicia]

Alpaca wool is the best - my friend raises alpacas and the wool is incredibly soft. Even better than cashmere because it doesn't pill or bunch up. Also I'm very allergic to both wool and cashmere and the alpaca oils must agree with me because I can wear alpaca just fine!

Felicia