Alpaca wool fabric is a luxury sensation. Made from Alpaca wool, often referred to as the “wool of the gods,” it is a luxury fiber with numerous fascinating characteristics. With its excellent features, it can easily be included in the list of luxury wools alongside vicuna, cashmere, and merino. However, compared to other types of wool, alpaca is superior in numerous ways. 

Hi, we are Team Muslin Dhaka. A passionate group of fabric researchers, fashion designers, and marketers. For the last few years, we have been constantly working with luxury fabrics, including alpaca, baby cashmere, guanaco, cervelt, and many more. With extensive experience in this sector, we deliver a clear understanding of alpaca wool, fiber & fabric. Its distinct differences from other luxury options.

In this article, we delve into the characteristics of alpaca wool, fiber &  fabric. In between, we will also mention some of the notable differences between alpaca and other wool fabrics. There will also be sections for History, Uses, Sustainability aspects, and many more.

So, take a coffee and enjoy the fascinating story of alpaca fabric. 

What is Alpaca Wool Fabric?

Alpaca wool fabric is made from alpaca fiber. Alpacas are from the family of camels. They are smaller than a camel and come in 18 different colors. There are 2 different types of alpaca. Huacaya and Suri. Huacaya wool is slightly thicker, and Suri Alpaca has fine wool. Both kinds of alpaca wool have some other differences in characteristics. (discussed in the dedicated part).

Alpaca wool is one of the best textiles for making sweaters, coats, and various winter wear. Considering its warmth, comfort, and luxurious attributes, it can easily be included in the list of royal wool fabrics. However, alpacas are farmable and relatively easy to breed. That is why it does not cost like Vicuna or Baby Cashmere. However, the quality range of alpaca fabric can vary a lot. Regular alpaca fabric may be priced higher than wool, but finer baby alpaca can cost as high as baby cashmere or similar products.

We have discussed the unique characteristics of luxury alpaca fabric on several occasions. Before discussing the fabrics part, Let’s first discuss the traits of alpaca wool.

Alpaca Wool Traits

Fineness with Hollow inside: 

In the luxury industry, the significance of animal fiber is often determined by the fineness of the wool fiber. Such as vicuna and baby cashmere are luxury due to their 13-14 micron thickness. But you can’t put it in the same group because alpaca fiber is not only thin but also hollow inside. This makes the wool more insulating and lightweight. What about the thickness? Regular alpaca wools can be 23-24 microns thick. However, high-quality baby alpaca wool can be as fine as 14 microns. Luxury alpaca wool is used to make expensive and luxurious attire. 

Softness: 

Alpaca wool is quite soft and bouncy. It has a sponge-like memory.

Insulation: 

Due to its hollow fiber, alpaca fabrics are more insulating than other luxury wool wares. We included an experiment about its superior insulation.

Low weight: 

Alpaca wool has ½ to ⅔ the weight of the same amount of wool of other types.

Water repellent: 

Due to the air trapped inside the alpaca fabric, it is highly water resistant. It also holds less water than other types of wool. It dries quickly and keeps you cool when you’re active.

Breathability: 

Compared to other wool, Marino fabric is more breathable. It traps heat well but does not overheat due to good breathability.

Hypoallergenic: 

Alpacas do not produce oil, and they are very clean animals. Their wool does not contain lanolin, which is a common allergen in animal fibers. Therefore, individuals with sensitive skin and allergy issues can easily wear it.

Stain resistant: 

Alpaca fabric does not absorb any molecules. So, it comes with natural stain-resistant characteristics. You will not need any chemical stain remover to wash it.

Flame resistant: 

Due to its molecular structure, alpaca wool does not catch fire easily.

At a Glance – Alpaca Fabric

Industrial Name	Alpaca wool fabric
Origin	South American Countries
Other Names	Alpaca Fiber.
Construction	Knitting.
Weight	Very lightweight.
Color	18 different colors between black and white.
Breathability	High.
Moisture Absorbance	Low.
Weaving	Knitted with different techniques.
Stretch	Comes with moderate natural stretch.
Heat Insulation	High.
Shrinkage Ratio	No.
Usage	Used to make winterwars, dolls, and accessories.

 

A History of Alpaca Fabric

Humans dominated alpacas about 6000 years ago. It is believed we started using alpaca wool about 5000 years ago. Alpacas were an essential part of the ancient Inka civilization. Incas used alpacas along with merinos and llamas. The development and selective breeding of alpacas started with the Inca people. Natives have always used alpaca wool for clothing and various purposes. However, it was not commercially popular in the 1800s. Spain was the first country to attempt to produce fabric from alpaca wool. But they failed to make comparable fabric from alpaca wool. They transferred the wool to France, Italy, and England. After multiple attempts, excellent fabrics were invented from alpaca fabric.

Later, the technique evolved throughout history and became a luxury fabric. Today, Alpaca wool is an integral part of the fashion and clothing industry.

How is Alpaca wool fabric made?

Alpaca is one of the most environmentally sustainable types of animal fiber. This is one of the reasons the fabric industry is highly interested in alpaca fabrics. Most of the alpaca fabric production is done organically. Here are the stages of making alpaca wool.

Growing alpacas

Alpacas are farmed mainly for their wool. Their wool is shredded once a year. They need to be kept clean. Must maintain perfect health to produce the best quality wool. After the end of winter, alpacas do not need wool. Alpaca wool fiber is shredded at that time.

Sorting wool

Every alpaca wool is slightly different. Not all parts of alpaca wool are suitable for making yarn or fabric. It requires an expert hand to sort out suitable parts of alpaca wool. Only long, fine, and straight wool is necessary for the production. 

Washing

After the wool is sorted, it is washed with mild soap. Alpaca wool does not require chemical treatment and access washing like other types of wool. This makes the fabric way more environmentally friendly. After washing, the wool is dried in the air. 

Spinning

Once the alpaca fibers are dried, they are ready to be spun into yarn. The yarns are generally produced with manual machines. 

Knitting

Next, alpaca wool fabrics are made with alpaca wool yarn using different knitting techniques. 

Types of Alpaca Wool

We already mentioned the names of two different types of alpaca wools. Let’s learn about their characteristics.

Huacaya: Huacaya alpaca wools are thicker and longer. Still, they are soft and bouncy. Huacaya wool and Suri wool are difficult to distinguish with the untrained eye. But they have some significant differences. Huacaya wool looks close to sheep wool, but it is softer. Due to its thickness, it is not suitable for luxury winter wear.

Suri: Suri wool is lighter and thicker. They are also very straight and smooth. For most luxury garments, suri alpaca fiber is a suitable choice. 

Characteristics of Alpaca Fabric

We have discussed alpaca wool and fiber a lot. Now, let’s discuss the characteristics of alpaca wool fabric. We have covered some aspects in the wool section, so we will keep it brief.

Alpaca fabric characteristics depend primarily on its build. But we can still discuss its universal characteristics.

Appearance

Alpaca fabric has a rich and cool appearance. It comes in simple colors and suits both formal and informal styles easily. There can be 18 different colors of alpaca, but some colors are rarer than others. Golden brown is the rarest and most expensive color of alpaca fabric.

Softness

Alpaca fabric is very soft and gentle to the skin. However, the softness also depends on the quality.

Breathability

Alpaca wool fabrics are highly breathable. It keeps you warm from the cold and also keeps you cool when you become active.

Insulation

Alpaca wool has better insulating characteristics. We have conducted an experiment to help you better understand it. We took two cups of hot water at the same temperature. And warped the cup with alpaca and cashmere wool fabric. After 10 minutes, we observed that the alpaca-warmed cup was warmer than the cashmere cup. That indicates the better insulating characteristics of alpaca fabric. 

Heat absorption

Due to the airy nature of the alpaca fabric, it protects you from the sun’s heat better than other fabrics. However, the level of heat absorption depends a lot on the color of the fabric. Deeper color absorbs more heat.

Stretch

Alpaca fabric comes with great stretch. It’s very durable, too. After you stretch the alpaca wool fabric, it comes back to its original shape. This memory is better for fabrics with longer fibers.

Water absorption

Alpaca fabric absorbs 30% less water than regular wool. It reflects water and dries faster than regular wool fabric.

Shrinkage

Good quality alpaca fabric does not shrink. But it can lose shape after years of use. Wash it gently to retain the shape for a long time. We included a care guide below this article.

Durability

Alpaca wool is one of the strongest types of wool. Most luxury wools are very delicate and need special care. However, alpaca wool is quite different from them in terms of strength.

Color retention

Alpaca fabrics are not typically dyed. They are preferred for their natural color. The colors remain the same for years.

Alpaca Wool Fabric and Sustainability

Alpaca wool is one of the most sustainable types of animal-based textiles among other luxury options. The production process includes very low carbon emissions. Almost no harsh chemicals are used. They are also important animals for the ecological cycles of the South American grassland. Considering all those, alpaca wool is highly environmentally friendly and sustainable when produced legally.

However, there are some unethical producers who attempt to exploit natural products for extra profit. But as long as you buy from legally traded and renowned brands, you don’t need to think much about it.

Uses of Alpaca Wool

Alpaca wool is used for various purposes. Primarily, they are used for winter wear. Scarves and shawls are common. Other traditional attires are made of alpaca wool. 

It is used to make sweaters, sweatpants, jackets, coats, T-shirts, tops, and various styles of winter wear. Socks, hats, hand gloves, and other accessories are also made with alpaca fabrics. 

Unused parts of alpaca wool are also not wasted. They are used for pillows, doll stuffing, and bedding for chickens and animals.

The advantages and disadvantages of Alpaca fabric

We now precisely share the benefits and drawbacks of alpaca fabric. Let’s see them in the following section.

Advantages

• Lightweight
• Soft
• Durable
• Stain-resistant.
• Comes in many colors.
• Reply with water.
• Dries fast.
• Warmer.
• Cheaper
• Hypoallergenic
• More sustainable

(It is pretty rare to have all those benefits for one wool fabric)

Disadvantages

• It’s not available everywhere.
• Does not possess the charm and sense of luxury found in vicuna and baby cashmere.

How do you care for Alpaca fabric?

Taking care of alpaca fabric is similar to caring for other types of luxury wool garments. You can dry wash or hand wash alpaca fabric. 

Here is a care guide for alpaca clothes :

• Submerged with lukewarm water and mild detergent. A detergent specifically designed for cashmere or high-quality wool would be best.
• Clean the fabric with water at the same temperature. Most people are submerged in lukewarm water and cleaned with cold water. This sudden temperature change can damage the fiber. You can also wash with cold water, with little to no difference.
• Once cleaned, do not wring or twist; slowly squeeze the water out.
• Do not hang the alpaca fabric. Wet wool can lose its shape when hung. Simply dry it with a dry towel on a flat surface.
• Once completely dried, store in a dark, dry, and breathable container.

Alpaca wool fabric by the yard

Regular quality alpaca fabric can cost about $30 to 60$ per yard. But if you are looking for premium ones, you may need to spend $60 to $120. For luxury baby alpaca wool fabric, you may have to spend even more, about $120 to over $200. 

Where can you buy an Alpaca?

Alpaca fabrics are not that common, but they are also not very rare. You may find them in your winter wear collection brand. Some brands sell different qualities of alpaca clothing online. 

Here is a short list for you.

• Huddersfield fine fabrics
• Alpaca Ware house store
• Crose fabric
• Sili He co

For a more detailed review of different brands, read Best Alpaca Wool Brand Review.

FAQ

What is the difference between Merino and Alpaca wool Fabric?

Alpaca fabric is lighter, warmer, and softer than Merino. Merino wool fabric comes in natural color white, while alpaca comes in 16-18 different colors.

Is alpaca warmer than wool?

Yes, due to the hollow inside part, alpaca is warmer than other types of wool.

Conclusion

Alpaca is the wool with the best qualities and comfort. Still, people tend to ignore it as it is not that rare. That says a lot about human nature! However, we tried our best to explain all the deep insights about alpaca wool fabric. 

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