Alpaca – The Superpower Fibre

I love taking a complete break at Christmas, enjoying family time and watching movies on the sofa under my alpaca blanket. But even when I’m watching The Incredibles 2 with my kids (about the family where everyone has a superpower), I’m thinking about alpaca.

Now we’re all back in our daily routines and Spring seems a long way off, wouldn’t it be handy to have a superpower? Whether your goal is finally sorting out your wardrobe or making a contribution to slowing down the rate of climate change, it’s good to have a little something extra on your side.

Alpaca is a superpower fibre. Resistant to wear and tear, out-performing cotton in extreme humidity and wool in extreme cold it’s also moisture-resistant, hypoallergenic and still incredibly smooth and soft (if you look at it under a microscope, it’s around three times as smooth as wool). Yet this miracle fibre wasn’t made in a test-tube: it’s been around for 8,000 years. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that Wonder Woman’s cloak is made of alpaca. She might even be persuaded to try one of the 22 beautiful natural shades, and never go back to red again.

But alpaca’s main superpower is to do all this  while still being gentle on the Earth. Grazing alpaca don’t rip plants out of the ground like sheep and cashmere goats. They have soft padded feet rather than harsh hooves. They can live in the toughest conditions and produce more fibre relative to the food they consume than sheep or cashmere goats.

How can humans be more alpaca: resilient, hardy, efficient and also lovely to have around (grab an alpaca blanket and you’ll see what I mean)? Let’s keep studying these special creatures and maybe we’ll find out. Happy New Year!