For three thousand years, the Andean area of Bolivia and Peru has been one of the world's great texile producing areas. Even now, the world marvels at the exquisite textile art pieces produced by pre-Columbian Andean weavers. This textile art tradition was based on the availability of a luxurious natural fiber: alpaca.

Alpaca is a camelid, a distant cousin of the African camel. The alpaca was developed by Andean herders 7,000 years ago as a domestic animal, by cross breeding the wild species of vicuñas and guanacos. Its highly valued textile fiber appears in Andean textiles as early as 1200 B.C. Not only was the alpaca the major source of wealth of the Inca, but its divine and royal fiber was preferred for use in most Incan ceremonial garments.

The alpaca inhabits the high Andean plateaus of Bolivia and Peru at altitudes of 13,000 feet and over where temperatures can drop to 5° F. (-13° C.) Alpacas have adapted to these extreme environmental conditions by developing a thick coat of fine hair, which demonstrates many special physical qualities. The alpaca is the only animal that comes in such a great variety of natural tones. There are 24 natural colors ranging from white to creams, fawns, browns, greys and black. The fiber also absorbs dyes well, resulting in colors that are resistant to fading. In addition, the fibers are fine and glossy, producing a soft, luxurious fabric. When the finest fleece is sheared and selected from the two year old animals, an even softer and finer fiber is produced, called "baby alpaca". This fiber has been compared to cashmere, but is much less expensive. Due to the scaleless property of the fiber, alpaca sweaters do not pill. Another quality of the hair is that it has a natural crimp, making for an extremely elastic and resistant yarn. Lastly, alpaca hair is not only water resistant, but also demonstrates thermostatic properties. This means that although its primary use is in cold climates, it can also be worn in warmer climes.

Like cashmere, angora, and mohair, alpaca is a luxury fiber that is available in very limited quantities. Actually, most alpaca fleece goes into the production of tops which are used in blends with other fibers. One hundred percent alpaca garments are much rarer. For these reasons, alpaca is expensive. Like other luxury fiber garments, alpaca knitwear should be drycleaned or handwashed in cold water and dried flat. Because of the natural crimp in the alpaca fiber, alpaca garments hold their shape even after years of wear and alpaca doesn't wrinkle during travel.