Various cultures throughout the world still hold on to ancient traditions, practices and artistry as a way to bring prosperity to their people and their community. Those ancient techniques and materials are considered sacred, not only because of the history and the fact that these artistic practices have been passed down for tens of thousands of years, but also because of the wealth that these traditions have brought to those cultures, especially throughout South America.
You might not realize but chances are, many of the gorgeous fabrics in your home and your closet are the product of ancient artistic traditions using fabric from indigenous animals in South America. That heavenly throw blanket you’re snuggling? Alpacas from Peru. That deliciously soft and delicate sweater you adore on a cool day? Llamas from Bolivia. From blankets to upholstery to sweaters, ponchos, tapestries, shoes and more, indigenous animals have brought many cultures to prosperity over the years, and continue to do so, both giving back to their communities and giving consumers handcrafted, luxurious fabrics and goods that cannot be manufactured anywhere else.
5 Indigenous Animals are A Key Source of Prosperity
When you think about delicacies and unique products that originate from countries in South America, you probably think about a handful of obvious goods. Of course, you think about the produce and grains that come from those countries. Perhaps your mind goes right to coffee beans, cacao or sugar. A lot of goods are exported from South America and enjoyed around the world. But in addition to all of those goods, grazing animals such as llamas, alpacas, and vicuñas also thrive in these countries. Thanks to the cold climates in the region, these animals flourish and ultimately provide much-needed and highly valued resources and materials used to create textile products that are exported across the globe. Just look around your home — if you’re lucky you are enjoying the fruits of those labors as we speak.
These indigenous animals are bred and herded for their wool, and that material is then used in very high-quality, highly luxurious textile products ranging from home decor items to apparel and more. And while most of us primarily think of sheep as the source of wool, animals such as alpacas and llamas are equally, if not more valuable in South American countries thanks to their ability to bring prosperity to those communities, one handcrafted good at a time.
Long before the globalized market created an economy focused on cheap, fake, machine-made products (we’re looking at you rayon and polyester), cultures focused on using the animal materials and the ancient traditions that had been preserved and protected for thousands of years.
According to the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (CTTC), a non-profit organization that promotes the empowerment of weavers through the sustainable practice of Peruvian ancestral textiles in the Cusco region, historically there was a very specific order of importance in their empire in the Incan empire in ancient Peru. Nobility was at the top of the order, but shortly after the nobles came the indigenous animals — the alpacas, vicuñas and llamas — that produced fiber, and third were the textiles that those fibers created. For context, all of those materials and objects were ranked above gold and silver in terms of value and importance.
And while so much has changed in the world since then, some things still remain the same. These indigenous animals have helped bring several cultures to prosperity, and continue to do so thanks to businesses and entrepreneurs focused on creating goods that also give back to their communities.
4 In Peru, it’s All About the Alpaca
While many of us instantly think of cashmere as the softest most luxurious fabric where clothing and upholstery is concerned, there’s another, arguably better material out there, and it comes from Peru. Alpaca fabric was once treasured by Incan royalty for its soft and luxurious texture and beautiful appearance. This natural fiber is light and warm, delicate and durable, silky and soft and also hypoallergenic, making it one of the world’s most sought after and most luxurious fabrics available. It’s also rare, making up only 1% of the luxury fiber in the world.
Sandra Jordan, the creative talent and entrepreneur behind Sandra Jordan Prima Alpaca, has always had a passion for traditional artisan crafts and products developed from long-standing traditions and natural materials. It was with a love of luxury, a desire to give back to her Peruvian roots, and a passion for hand-crafted products that Prima Alpaca was born.
In 2006 she launched Sandra Jordan Prima Alpaca, a brand dedicated to creating beautiful products from alpaca fibers, while both preserving ancient techniques and earth-friendly manufacturing of the textile. From raising the alpacas to hand sorting the fibers to weaving the fabric in the Andes, every step of the process of creating Prima Alpaca is executed with the best interests of the animals, the culture, the community and the workers in mind. According to Sandra Jordan’s website, the company “creates jobs for herdsmen and textile workers living in remote areas of Peru.” And this is not just a side effect, but rather an obligation to her roots.
Social responsibility and environmental consciousness are an essential aspect of her company’s mission and her story. In addition to creating the ultimate in luxurious fabric and home design products, Jordan also focuses on meeting the needs of the herders and textile workers. She partnered with a yarn producer and research institute to work together and build sustainable adobe cottages to house herders in remote regions of the Andes, where the alpaca are raised. This allowed her to not only support the local culture, but also harvest fibers from a rare breed of alpaca whose fleece once adorned Incan royalty. “Years of working with partners in Peru to support herdsmen and refine production have finally allowed us access to this unique fiber from the rare Suri alpaca. We are thrilled to now share it with designers,” she said in a feature in Interior Design Magazine.
Sandra Jordan Prima Alpaca is more than just a business; it’s a textile brand that simultaneously supports the local economy of her home country while also producing high-quality goods. It’s a brand that is rooted in tradition and personal history as much as it is focused on meeting the needs of a modern consumer base and marketplace. Her business is a sustainable practice that continues to bring prosperity to Peru and all of the workers involved from start to finish.
3 Llamas are Valuable in Bolivia
Similar to the popularity and purpose of alpacas in Peru (and other areas of South America), another type of camelid is equally valuable in Bolivia — the llama. Bolivia boasts the largest population of llamas in the world, with over 2 million llamas. In Bolivia, llama fiber is a go-to source material for clothing brands such as Bonalla, a brand that is all about bringing traditional Bolivian craftsmanship to a more modern consumer base.
The brand’s name comes from its mission: Bolivian Natural Llama (BO-NA-LLA), and the goal is to create luxurious, contemporary knitwear for a cosmopolitan audience. What sets this brand apart starts at the core, with authentic, naturally sourced, high-quality Bolivian llama fibers that are pure, eco-friendly and sustainable. According to their brand website, Bonilla sources Bolivian llama fiber from the most experienced llama yarn manufacturer in the world and uses that fiber to create the highest quality products, from sweaters to scarves to accessories and more.
2 Vicuña are More Valuable than Gold, and are Valuable to South American Cultures
Once upon a time vicuña, a cousin of the llama and a member of the camelid family of mammals, were considered more valuable than gold, primarily used for their silky fiber coats. There were millions of vicuña inhabiting the chilly Andean plateaus throughout Peru and South America, but over time, because these animals were hunted for their fleece (a fabric so grand it was reserved only for royalty) they became endangered and hunting them was banned by the Peruvian government.
There were only about 5,000 vicuñas left in the Andes, and as the animals became more and more scarce there was an embargo placed on all trade and exports of vicuña wool. It wasn’t until several years later that the well-known luxury Italian fashion company Loro Piana stepped in to reintroduce vicuña to the commercial world in an ethically sourced and environmentally responsible way. They invested in nature reserves and preservation initiatives throughout the 1980s and 90s, working to help regrow the vicuña population and find ways to safely and ethical shear the animals for their fleece, without harming the animals at all. Today Loro Piana has control over most of the world’s vicuña market — in 2008 it opened a 2,000-hectare Dr. Franco Loro Piana Reserva in Peru where vicuña are bred and raised with an emphasis on conservation. This investment in the animals’ well-being and the industry of producing vicuña fibers for luxury goods brings jobs to Peru and the surrounding region, and has helped bolster the population of the species in the wild.
Dr. Cristián Bonacic, a Chilean conservation scientist, agrees that the humane shearing of vicuñas “presents a real opportunity to bring economic gain to indigenous communities whilst presenting an alternative to the domestic livestock that overgraze the high altitude plateaus.” His research and work has helped to develop ways to ethically manage the vicuña population in a way that benefits both the local communities across the Andes as well as the businesses of exporting these goods around the world.
1 Footwear that Gives Back
Another excellent example of how indigenous animals and sacred traditions can help boost wealth in cultures around the world doesn’t have to do with what you wear on your body or what you use to decorate your home, but rather what you put on your feet.
Their textiles are shorn from animals native to the region (think alpaca and llama), and are made using 100 percent authentic crafting techniques that have been passed down for at least ten thousand years. And that’s not all. The shoes also give back to the local community where they are produced, providing jobs to local farmers and also planting trees for every pair of shoes sold, helping to reforest the world and provide sustenance for local populations in developing countries.
