Why alpaca
A fiber with a long memory.
Long before it reached our homes, alpaca was part of life in the Andes. Its warmth, soft hand, and quiet drape have carried it from ancient textiles into the pieces we live with today.
Follow the thread
Cusco, Peru. Photograph by Susan Flores / Pexels.
01 / Andean heritage
Before an empire. Beyond a generation.
Andean communities were working with camelid fibers long before the Inca Empire. Cloth offered warmth, but it also carried meaning: identity, standing, belief, and the skill of its maker.
Under the Inca, fine alpaca cloth known as cumbi held a special place. Its production and use were closely regulated. The value lay in both the fiber and the knowledge required to turn it into cloth.
Spanish conquest changed Andean life and textile production. Indigenous weavers continued their work, adapting forms and motifs across generations. This is a living tradition, shaped by people who kept making, teaching, and using cloth.
Read: The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Andean textilesA living inheritance
The fiber endures because the knowledge does.
Across the high Andes, families still raise alpacas as part of their livelihoods. Caring for herds, recognizing the fleece, and working with the seasons are knowledge passed between generations. Today, that work faces changing weather and pressure on grazing land. Alpaca’s future belongs in the same conversation as its past.
Read: FAO on Andean herding communities02 / The fiber
There is a reason we still reach for it.
Alpacas live with cold nights and strong highland sun. Their fleece provides insulation in that environment. In a finished textile, the fiber grade, yarn, and weave shape how that warmth feels.
Warmth with lightness.
Alpaca fiber makes an insulating layer that can feel light in use. It also absorbs and releases moisture from the surrounding air. The weight and construction of each piece determine the balance.
A finer touch.
Fine fibers bend more easily against the skin. Alpaca’s low surface scales also contribute to its smooth hand. Fiber diameter matters: “alpaca” alone does not tell you how soft a piece will feel.
A natural fall.
Alpaca brings a gentle sheen and a fluid drape to cloth. You see it in the way a shawl falls from a shoulder or a woven throw settles over the arm of a chair.
More than a blanket.
Fine knitwear, scarves, coats, and home textiles all give alpaca a different form. Different fiber grades and constructions serve different purposes. The material has endured because makers keep finding ways to use it.
03 / The land
A relationship worth caring for.
Alpacas have padded feet and graze by clipping vegetation. Those traits can be gentle on highland pastures. Healthy grasslands still depend on how herds are managed and how many animals the land can support.
Their fleece grows in shades of white, brown, gray, and black. Working with those natural colors can remove the need for dyeing. Our Natural Original Throw is undyed; that claim does not apply to every Paqari colorway.
The whole journey matters: animal care, grazing, processing, transport, and the years a piece stays in use. A natural fiber is a starting point. It deserves care at every stage.
Read: Textile Exchange on animal welfare and land management
04 / Alpaca, at home
Our part begins with the material.
We choose baby alpaca for the soft hand it brings to a woven blanket. The Original Throw pairs a light, familiar weight with hand-knotted fringe. Made in Peru, for the chair you read in and the evenings you stay home.
- Composition
- 100% baby alpaca
- Fiber diameter
- 21–23 microns
- Finished weight
- 520 g / 18 oz
- Made in
- Peru
A few things worth knowing.
What does “baby alpaca” mean?
Baby alpaca is a fine fiber grade. It describes the fineness of the fleece, not the age of the animal, and does not mean first shearing. The Original Throw uses 21–23 micron baby alpaca.
Does all alpaca feel the same?
No. Fiber diameter, the presence of coarser hairs, yarn, weave, and finishing all affect the feel. Fine baby alpaca is selected for softness. Individual skin sensitivity varies.
Will an alpaca throw pill?
Pilling depends on the yarn, construction, care, and friction a piece receives. Alpaca is not pill-proof. Treat your throw gently and avoid repeated rubbing against rough surfaces.
How do I care for the Original Throw?
Dry cleaning is preferred. If hand washing, use cold water and a wool-safe detergent. Avoid agitation and wringing, then lay flat to dry. Do not machine wash or tumble dry. Between cleanings, air it in the shade. Follow the care guidance for your specific Paqari piece.
