The alpaca is a South American camelid mammal that is smaller than a llama. While the two animals are not the same breed, they can be crossbred. Alpacas are raised at altitudes of 11,482 to 16,404 feet above sea level. The alpaca yields two different types of fleece: Huacaya is fluffy like sheep’s wool and Suri which looks like dreadlocks on the alpaca but feels like natural silk.
Alpaca clothing can be constructed from the yarns made of fleece classified as Huacaya or Suri. Alpaca fibers are hypoallergenic and contain no lanolin, unlike wool, yet alpaca clothing feels warmer than woolen clothing.
The alpaca’s fiber is used to make Eileen Fischer’s stand collar coat; sweaters and scarves; Rails Oslo’s cardigan; or Raf Simon’s Alpaca and wool-blend cape/sweater. Anything remotely warm is easily constructed from alpaca yarns.
Woven Alpaca: Suri
Alpaca yarns are made for weaving and knitting. Suri fleece is fine and silky with little to no crimp. The fleece has a tight scale structure making it heavy, it difficult to work with and dye. This makes Suri more often used to weave instead of knitted.
Knitted Alpaca: Huacaya
Huacaya fleece is more like wool as it is crimpy, soft, and fluffy. The greater the crimp in a fiber the greater the elasticity, which is why Huacaya fleece is used primarily in knits.
Properties of Alpaca Fabrics
The alpaca fiber is lighter, stronger, softer, and warmer than cashmere or wool. Alpaca clothing can last for decades if care is taken of the clothing. Alpaca fabrics won’t pill like other knits and it won’t shrink if hand washed in cold water. If woven alpaca is line dried and the knits are dried lying flat, they should continue looking fresh and new. Alpaca knits should never shrink when treated gingerly.
The Unique Properties of Alpaca
Alpaca is not prickly or scratchy against the skin, quite different than wool. The fiber is highly resistant to wear. It’s almost impossible to stretch and distort. It even repels oil and water stains. Simply blotting the areas where a spill fell and remove the signs of the spill. Unlike most fabrics, alpaca doesn’t generate static electricity and therefore doesn’t draw soil and dust to the fibers.
All alpaca clothing is quite pricey, but it wears well, and it feels luxurious. Because of its stain repellent qualities and capacity for lasting for decades, it’s worth the cost.