| Just as predicted following the supermarket devaluing | | | | garment (don't confuse this with the 'fluffy' texture |
| of cashmere, the high street is using a new 'buzz | | | | of angora and mohair). These hairs a sign of low |
| word' in its labelling of garments. 'Contains Alpaca', | | | | quality alpaca, in fact high quality alpaca is exactly the |
| 'Alpaca Blend', '…with alpaca' are becoming | | | | opposite, prized for the lack of the 'prickle factor' |
| common add-ons to accompany polymides, viscose | | | | created by these long and coarse guard hairs. What |
| and elastine. | | | | is being sold on the highstreet is not quality alpaca, it |
| Although alpaca has hit England before- Queen | | | | is merely being added as a token gesture to |
| Victoria was a notorious fan of the luxury lustrous | | | | garments dominated by manmade materials disguised |
| fabrics- it has never before been a commonly | | | | as 'microfibres'. All this low-grade alpaca is adding to |
| recognised word. An alpaca is an animal, like a llama, | | | | this knitwear is visual texture, and is most likely |
| but smaller, woollier (and prettier!), originating from | | | | taking away from the comfort of wearing the |
| the high alti-plano of South America. In the UK we | | | | garment. |
| now have over 18,000 of these animals, so you are | | | | Alpaca should have a soapy and slippy texture, and |
| increasingly likely to catch a glimpse of a long neck | | | | should be visually identified by its wondrous lustre, |
| peering over the fence when driving in the British | | | | absent from most other natural fibres with the |
| countryside. Alpaca is a soft and inherently warm | | | | obvious exception of silk. Alpaca can be worn close |
| fibre; the Incas originally prized it as a gift from the | | | | to your skin without irritating. It is a hypoallergenic |
| gods. The alpaca sold in town centres is all from Peru, | | | | fibre as it does not contain lanolin, an irritant for |
| Chile or Bolivia, where mills beyond the scale of | | | | those with sensitive skin. So check your labels and |
| anything here in the UK spin the sheared fleeces | | | | look out for 'Royal alpaca' and 'Baby alpaca', both |
| through to yarns for knitting or weaving. | | | | signals of fineness. Don't judge these beautiful animals |
| The garments on the highstreet, proudly bearing the | | | | or their gorgeous fleeces by this season's purple |
| badge 'alpaca' most commonly only contain less than | | | | jumper. If you get the chance head across to a |
| 20% alpaca fibres, some as little as 8%. Highstreet | | | | quality alpaca shop or farm and find some 100% |
| alpaca blends can be spotted by the slightly trained | | | | alpaca products- and of course meet the producers! |
| eye by looking out for a 'hairy' appearance to a | | | | |