Guanaco wool is one of the top three rare luxury fabrics collected from South American camelid animals. Yet, there’s a chance that many of you haven’t heard of guanaco fabric.
While making the list of the most luxurious fabrics, Team Muslin Dhaka discovered some very interesting facts about guanaco wool. Despite being very similar to vicuna wool, this fiber hasn’t got the attention it deserves because of several restrictions.
We’re talking about Guanaco wool today. We’ve collected some crucial information from the Andes indigenous artisan and their descendants about this fabric. Some textile enthusiasts also lend us their hands in making this article.
What Type of Animal is Guanaco?
Guanaco, also called Huanaco, is a wild camelid species found in the Andes lands of South America and New Zealand. It looks pretty similar to Alpaca, Llama, and Vicuna. But guanaco is a bit stiffer and muscular than its cousins.
A fun fact about the guanaco is that this animal can live on any type of plant—even cactus! Throughout their evolution, they adapted to live on both highlands and lowlands, so they learned to collect nutrients from different types of plants.
In the beginning, guanaco was prey for their meat and skin. But now, people captivate them only to harvest the fur and leave them in the wild. Because guanaco don’t get domesticated so easily.
Now, there are around a thousand guanacos in the US. Most were brought in the late 20th century for research purposes. But still, the majority of guanaco fiber comes from South America.
Guanaco Wool: A Rare Luxury
We agree that guanaco fibers aren’t as good as vicuna or cervelat fibers. Still, it’s the third-best luxury wool on the market. Sometimes, experts even put this fiber above baby cashmere regarding comfort and look.
It’s hard to find differences between guanaco and vicuna. The average thickness of usable guanaco fiber is around 10-18 microns. It is 3-6 microns thicker than vicuna. So, the quality is very similar and up to the mark. As we all know anything below 18 microns is surely a jackpot.
Another fact that makes guanaco a rare luxury is its natural color. The undercoat fibers are light cream in color normally. The color is well-suited for luxurious winter items.
Finding genuine guanaco is a tough call even if you can buy the best vicuna or cashmere fashion. One adult guanaco can give 700-1000 grams of usable undercoat fur. Globally, only 5000 kilograms of guanaco fiber is produced each year. So, most of the supply gets sold in pre-order.
If you are not from South America, your best option is to check Etsy. They have few trusted sellers who can give you 100% authentic guanaco products. But remember, they can cost you more than any other wool cloth.
History of Guanaco Wool
According to Science Direct, it’s been over 2 million years since Lama guanicoe first appeared in South American lands. At first, it was mostly inhabited in Peru and Bolivia regions. But for some reason, most of the guanaco population shifted to Argentina a few centuries ago.
Guanaco fur was always a choice for clothing for tribes in the Andes. At some point, it also became a clothing material for the upper hierarchy. During that time, the population was around 40-50 million in total. So, guanaco wasn’t a rare fabric from the beginning.
During the 14th and 15 centuries in between, the Inca Empire lost against the Spanish invasion. Spanish invaders insisted on farming sheep for easy wool production in the Andes lands. And guanaco was the biggest competitor of sheep for food. So, people killed guanaco in large numbers then.
The colonial rule made the species almost extinct. But luckily, guanaco fibers were revived in the 20th century by local and international authorities. Now, there are around 2 million guanaco living.
How is Guanaco Wool Collected & Processed?
Guanaco wool or fiber is collected once a year. In local regions, small tribes lure the guanaco into a trap and capture them without any harm.
Then, the fur of guanaco is sheared from the skin. They ensure each guanaco remains fine after shearing the coats. After collecting the fur, farms leave guanaco back in the wild.
Now, the tough part comes. Workers need to separate the soft undercoat from the rough overcoat hair. Overcoat fibers are around 10-15 cm long whereas undercoat fibers are not more than 80-100 mm.
When the soft fur is separated, they are processed either worsted or woolen. The yarns most of the time remain with the natural color. But factories can dye them to make exclusive items.
Characteristics of Guanaco Fiber
Unveiling the Unique Properties of Guanaco Wool. it is a tough call to express properly.
Weight
Guanaco is one of the lightweight fibers for winter clothing. It’s even possible to make a yard of fabric with only 300 grams of guanaco. The fabric keeps you warm by proper heat insulation. Not by putting the burden on your body.
Heat Insulation
This wool is good at keeping your body temperature in a perfect range. The natural fibers can block the outside environment to impact the temperature beneath the cloth.
Texture
Guanaco wool feels smoother than your hair after using the best shampoo you can ever use. The fibers are always very thin and uniform. There’s no chance of the yarn fraying or breaking. So the smoothness won’t fade after years of use.
Softness
The softness of guanaco compared with high-quality down used for making pillows and comforters. Guanaco fibers are washed properly before becoming yarns. That’s why there are no natural wax or layers like lanolin over the yarns that can trouble your skin.
Breathability
The fabric is one of those rare kinds that are both heat-insulative and regulative. As the wool is very thin, 10-18 microns, they can also ventilate air and temperature from inside. That’s why wearing this makes a person quite cozy. Neither hot nor cold.
Color Retention
The natural color range of guanaco wool is between light cream to brown. There are more than 20 natural shades. Each shade can last long no matter how frequently people uses the fabric.
Moisture Absorption
Guanaco wool can wick moisture quicker than sheep wool. However, this material naturally takes time to dry.
Durability
Despite being thin and lightweight, the fibers are pretty strong. You can see people who can afford it use the clothing as regular wear. Guanaco wool holds its nature for a very long time.
Maintenance
Caring for expensive fabrics requires some attention. So for guanaco wool. You need to use better wool detergent to wash the fabric.
Reasons Why Guanaco is Less Talked About?
The production of guanaco fiber is 10 times less than the most luxurious wool vicuna. Such a rarity makes it a fine luxury item. Even if the production is low, the demand still remains pretty high. That’s why you’d find guanaco fiber blended with merino wool to make clothes and yarns.
As guanaco is hard to domesticate, farms always look for easier alternatives like alpaca or merino sheep to produce high-quality wool. It is one of the primary reasons why other countries aren’t encouraged in guanaco.
After political changes in South America, the export policies of guanaco and other animal fibers have become complex. More than 60% of the guanaco population is in Argentina. According to the Craftsmanship Online Magazine, the country’s authority isn’t as considerable as Peru or Bolivia. They restrict the exports.
Even the Indigenous tribes and the ancestors of guanaco artisans aren’t backed by the government to produce more guanaco fiber or wool. It is recent news that private textile companies are pushing the authorities to break this taboo. It allows people to earn millions of foreign currencies through this timeless luxury fiber.
Long story short, this fiber is so rare that even most luxury brands from Europe and the US fail to import and sell it. For this reason, guanaco fabric is not a trending luxury.
What Are the Key Benefits of Guanaco Wool?
You might’ve guessed most of the benefits after understanding the properties. However, to ease the job, here are the main benefits of guanaco fiber.
- Good for winter, spring, and autumn
- Eye-soothing natural colors
- For both lightweight and heavy clothing
- Lustrous appeal for years
- Soft like a piece of cloud
- Best wool for sensitive skin; hypoallergenic
- Doesn’t get coarse after several washes
- Doesn’t make the wearer sweat
- Can be blended with other fibers
- Better than normal cashmere, merino, and alpaca wool
End Uses of Guanaco Fiber
- Lightweight sweater
- Overcoat
- Gloves
- Scarf
- Shawl
- Hat
- Tunic
- Jacket & many more.
Sustainability & Natural Impacts
Currently, guanaco wool is harvested cruelty-free. That’s why the use of guanaco fiber is legal in every country.
However, there might be unethical business people who might hunt and sell animals and their fibers. So, you better buy guanaco or any other natural fiber fabric that has an RWS certificate.
Besides, don’t worry about the environmental impacts of using guanaco wool. Because the fabric is completely biodegradable. The production process is also free of high carbon emission rates.
Our suggestion would be always buy from renowned sellers as they won’t sell anything unethical or harmful to nature.
Present & Future of Luxury Guanaco Wool
A recent article from CONICET gave us a slight idea about the situation of guanaco wool. Although there was no clear statement, the Argentine government might loosen the strict policies regarding guanaco wool.
We already told you how some weird govt. policies have bottlenecked the production in the country that has the biggest guanaco population, Argentina.
After 2005, numerous agencies demanded production to get full support from the government. Currently, there are barely 10 companies or farms harvesting the fiber in Argentina.
Many might think they get crazy amounts by selling raw guanaco fibers. As the price of a guanaco shawl is equal to the rent of a studio apartment. But the reality is something different. Suppliers only get 300-600$ for a pound of raw guanaco fiber.
The benefactors are only the European end-product sellers.
Despite the choking production and way-beyond price and rarity, people haven’t forgotten this Andes fiber. There are enthusiasts who adore this fabric. Guanaco still sets an example as one of the top three camelid wools in the world. You can feel it when you talk to a salesperson from a luxury hub in the US. Ask them how many people look for pure guanaco fabric.
The happiest news is that other South American countries are trying to hire Indigenous people, descendants of guanaco wool artisans. Authorities are doing their best to revive the wool to make it more available like alpaca and vicuna. This kind of work might make the Argentine government reconsider its resources. And let us enjoy the timeless fiber.
Guanaco Fabric by the Yard
It’s hard to determine the exact price of guanaco fabric. The production is so rare that the price might shift randomly.
However, the price of 1-yard guanaco wool might be around 400-500$ at this time. However, it can change depending on the brand or availability.
3 Best Places to Buy Guanaco Products
If you wish to buy guanaco fabric online, you can visit these brands:
FAQ
What is another name for guanaco?
Guanaco is also known as huanaco. Its scientific name is Lama guanicoe.
Which is the best wool in the world?
Our personal rating says Vicuna wool is the best animal fiber. Baby Cashmere and Guanaco come in second and third place, respectively.
Can Guanaco be domesticated for wool?
A few American private farms were successful in domesticating guanaco. But there’s no statement about domesticating them for a large amount of fiber production.
Summary
Guanaco is still one of the most demanding luxury fabrics & fashion despite facing so many obstacles throughout history. It is a blessing from the Inca period that has given a new definition to animal fiber fabrics.
We hope we were able to cover up all the details about the guanaco wool fabric. We will consider ourselves successful if we are able to push your interest towards this fashion by today’s discussion.
Rest apart, if you wish to buy the best guanaco wool brands, follow our buying guide!
Shariful Alam Pavel, A fashion lover, passionate marketer. Love to share wisdom based on real life experience to enrich knowledge.
Founder of Muslin Dhaka, a brand, speaks the truth about royal muslin and fashion. Explore the digital fashion universe with organic cotton muslin and much more!
0 Comments