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Why Wear an Alpaca Jacket?
As the world wakes up to the amazing style, environmental and performance benefits of pure wool products, other types of wool are also becoming popular, like Alpaca.
The Alpaca originated in the high Andes of Peru where it developed exquisite fine wool to survive the harsh climate. For that reason, like Merino Sheep, its wool is highly sought after for use in textiles because it is so soft. The softness comes from the fineness of the fibers naturally and that fineness also contributes to the insulating properties of the fabrics made from them. Basically, the finer the fibers the more of them can fit per square inch and that means there are more tiny air pockets per square inch, which is what gives Loden wool products in particular their famous temperature regulating properties.
However, very fine fibers like Alpaca or Cashmere are also weaker than thicker sheep wool and pile more, therefore they are usually mixed with more robust sheep wool fibers when used in outerwear like a coat in order to make the material stronger.
For garments that come under less stress, like a scarf, sweater or a shawl, pure Cashmere or Alpaca is excellent. Fine fibers like these can also be used pure if the fabric undergoes a special wet-finishing process that shrinks it and makes it stronger like our pure cashmere overcoat.
Many of our Loden wool coats are made from a blend of Alpaca and sheep wool in order to get the perfect balance of performance and durability.