What is Alpaca?

  ALPACA is an environmentally friendly alternative to real fur. It is sheared from the Alpaca, spun into a yarn, woven into a cotton backing and custom hand dyed for the most luxurious animal friendly furs available in today's markets. The Alpaca's hair fibers are very similar to Mohair's. It is soft, durable, luxurious and naturally environmentally friendly. Similar to sheep's wool, it is warmer, not prickly and naturally does not contain lanolin which makes it more hypoallergenic than other natural animal hair fibers. Alpaca is naturally water-repellent and difficult to ignite. The Alpaca is a domesticated species of the South American Camelid and cousins to the llamas. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas and unlike llamas, Alpacas are not used as beasts of burden but are valued only for their hair fibers. Alpacas have been domesticated for thousands of years. They originally played an important role in the Ancient Incan culture where they were treasured for their soft fleece that was worn only by Incan Royalty. They are featured in many images of their art and considered an important part of their culture. The Alpaca was first brought to the United States in 1984. Today Alpacas have become a much loved investment for American farmers, animal lovers and investors. Alpacas are gentle animals that are agreeable with people. They are soft on the environment and naturally organic making Alpaca fur a truly green fabric. Alpacas are now being bred in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, U.K. and numerous other places.