Alpaca Coats & Alpaca Ponchos
The Alpaca Poncho
The Poncho is undoubtedly the most famous South American garment globally; this is especially true of the Peruvian and Mexican Poncho.
In recent decades, its use has become widespread in the rest of the world as well. One reason for this success is that now the big international ones have understood that the Poncho is versatile and introduced it to the international market.
* Disclosure: Text links or some image links on world’s-finest-wool may be affiliate links.
All our work is reader-supported – when you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The decision is yours – whether you decide to buy something is entirely up to you.
The forms of a Poncho
The Poncho is a garment that you can wear for any occasion: Depending on its shape, textile and finish, you can throw it on for a stroll around town, wear it for a walk on the beach or a mountain hike, or even go to the office with it.
There is another reason why the Poncho is so appreciated again today, especially by women: It’s a one-size-fits-all garment.
If you buy a Poncho today, you will probably wear it for a very long time. An Alpaca Poncho is very durable and perfectly adapts its shape to all the physical changes that come with the years or special conditions, such as pregnancies.
In trade, there are various types of ponchos: they can be made of fabric or knitted. There are very many shapes and colors. Basically, there are three types.
- The coat poncho in a short and long version
- Triangular ponchos
- Rectangular ponchos
It can have a round neck, v-neck, high neck or Korean neck. The style can be casual, ethnic or elegant.
Characteristics of a poncho made of alpaca wool?
Alpaca Ponchos are characterized by simple lines and minimalist cuts that can be easily integrated into any wardrobe.
Place it on your shoulders and fasten it with a belt or brooch for extra fit and comfort. One style reaches straight to your hips, and the other is longer and covers the thigh area for added warmth.
The Peruvian poncho - the ethnic style of the Incas!
The Peruvian poncho is traditionally a very colorful garment on which local tailors often sew fabric inserts depicting natural elements or simple geometric shapes.
Ponchos woven and made on the Andes mountain range are strongly influenced by the Peruvian textile tradition, which dates back to the ancient Inca civilization.
Traditional Peruvian textiles are an open book of symbols. Weaving’s art resembles a written document, a language with visual metaphors that convey its values and cultural concepts.
In the cinemas, the poncho became famous through the Italo-Western “For a Fistful of Dollars” when Clint Eastwood wore it in the nameless stranger’s role. The poncho gave him an unmistakable look, which clearly distinguished him from the traditional cowboy characters.
The history of the poncho
Long before Peru and Bolivia exported alpaca sweaters, their weavers were hard at work making alpaca ponchos.
In Paracas on Peru’s desert coast, mummy bundles dating back to 300 B.C. have revealed incredibly elaborate Ponchos and wraps, at which point the Paracas culture was about 500 years old.
The designs were usually elaborate embroideries on a canvas field depicting animals, birds, flying shamans and warriors with severed heads. Many of these embroideries had a ceremonial background.
Paracas weavings consisted of both cotton and alpaca fibers, indicating trade routes that stretched from the highlands to the desert shore.
More than a thousand years later, the Incas continued this fashion trend with bright alpaca wool ponchos decorated with complex geometric patterns. These Patterns indicated the status of the wearer and his role in Inca society.
Inca weavers used the full range of weaving techniques: slit rugs, embroidery, brocade, and even tie-dyeing.
With the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in 1528 and the Incan and Mexican culture was almost extinguished.1
The poncho became a worthy garment for mestizos and a functional but beautiful outer garment for peasants and shepherds. In Mexico, it became the serape blanket poncho worn by Mexican ranchers. In Peru and Bolivia, designs continued to vary from village to village.
Each poncho wearer used their home village’s colors and patterns and was instantly recognizable to others in the region.
Unlike today’s fast fashion, these traditional Bolivian and Peruvian ponchos’ designs changed very slowly over the centuries. In Andean society, men wore ponchos, and women wore Ruanas that they put around their shoulders.2
Ponchos made of Alpaca
Alpaca ponchos are made from alpaca wool, which comes from the highest altitudes of the Peruvian Andes. Alpaca wool is as soft as cashmere, seven times warmer than sheep’s wool, allergy-free and durable, and unmatched by any other natural fiber.
It is also a sustainable choice compared to cashmere, making it ideal for the environmentally conscious. Alpaca wool poncho will keep you cozy inside even in the coldest temperatures.
Decide on classic neutral colors for a polished, elegant look or trendy shades for a stylish finish.
Wrap yourself in an alpaca poncho and surrender to the soft feel and finest materials.
Alpaca Coats
Why an Alpaca Coat?
Alpaca is up to seven times warmer than sheep’s wool. Thus, no still excellent warming winter coat can be made from much thinner material. Since alpaca wool is also about 20% lighter, alpaca coats are light and very comfortable to wear.
An alpaca coat is certainly not cheap to have, but the natural sheen does its part to make an alpaca coat one of the most desirable garments. This natural luster remains and does not disappear even when the wool is dyed.
Alpaca wool is dirt repellent, has a very high resistance and is almost lint-free. Alpaca Cloth is part of what we call “Sustainable Clothing,” – since an alpaca coat also does not go out of fashion, you will have a very long time much joy in the precious piece!
* Disclosure: Text links or some image links on world’s-finest-wool may be affiliate links.
All our work is reader-supported – when you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The decision is yours – whether you decide to buy something is entirely up to you.
Peruvian Connection
Peruvian Connection offers a wide range of beautiful alpaca coats in the higher price segment, from shorter alpaca coats to exclusive long coats made of the finest baby alpaca wool for harsh weather conditions.
Alpaca wool coats are fashionable, comfortable and very versatile. They will keep you warm in frosty temperatures and help you feel comfortable outside, even in winter.
When choosing long coats for fall or winter, warmth is one of the most important factors to consider. While there are many materials to choose from, nothing will keep you as comfortably warm as an alpaca coat.
Alpaca fiber is stain resistant that doesn’t take on odors, and is hypoallergenic to boot! Unlike sheep’s wool, alpaca does not contain lanolin, which is known to cause allergic reactions.
If you are looking for a unique, stylish and functional addition to your wardrobe, have a look at the beautiful alpaca fashion from Peruvian Connection.
Properties of Alpaca Coats
Alpaca wool coats have the property to visibly carry the cozy warmth that we want inside to the outside. Short coats made of fine alpaca wool convince with their fluffy soft touch and their lightness.
Because alpacas in the South American Andes are exposed to icy cold and also blazing heat, the material of an alpaca coat is so wonderfully climatizing.
An alpaca coat is timelessly modern and provides a cuddly fluffy feel.
Invisible World
Invisible World opened for business in 1985 in the small town of Juneau, Alaska. Back then, there weren’t even fax machines. Now there areInvisible World is a global retailer that is now represented in 13 countries, with its headquarters still in the unusual location of Juneau, Alaska.
Invisible World also operates a Web Store on Amazon. →
Alicia adams alpaca
Alicia and her family moved from Germany to New York in 2006, where they started to breed Suri Alpacas! – The Suri Alpacas one of the rarest breeds in the world.
While her husband took care of the alpaca breeding and made it one of the premier Suri breeding centers in the USA, Alicia started Alicia Adams Alpaca in 2009.
Alicia Adams products are made either in the U.S. or directly in Peru, using the incredible craftsmanship of local artisans who are continuing the traditional processing of alpaca fiber from the time of the Incas.
To give back to the local communities, Alicia Adams Alpaca actively supports artisan families and their communities.
Alicia Adams Alpaca adds an urban touch to their classic designs. →
Alpaca fiber is divided into two main categories: Alpaca fiber and baby alpaca fiber. Baby alpaca wool is finer (about 22.5 microns versus 29 microns) and does not necessarily come from young alpacas but from the first shearing of the animal, which has a fine coat.
Baby alpaca is an extremely soft, silky and shiny fiber like silk. It is so comfortable that it can be worn directly against the skin. Baby alpaca is considered the softest and most prestigious natural fiber in the world. It is rare and accounts for less than 10% of the total world production of alpaca fiber. Baby alpaca is thus a luxury fiber that we have selected for you to enjoy in most items in our store.
Alpaca wool is clearly characterized by its seven times higher insulating power compared to sheep wool and its incomparable softness, close to that of cashmere wool.
Thus, thanks to its thermo-regulatory, this wool protects you much better from the cold, gently, without ever making you sweat. In fact, an alpaca must adapt to temperature variations that can range from -25 to 30 degrees on the same day. For this purpose, it has a coat composed of very fine and silky fibers that are particularly thermo-regulatory.
In addition, its high thermal insulation performance allows you to wear light and comfortable clothes while perfectly protecting you from the cold.
It is also incredibly light, comfortable to wear and respects the most sensitive skin thanks to its hypoallergenic properties. These are the reasons why NASA, at the beginning of the space conquest, equipped its astronauts with clothes made of this wool.
Alpaca is a very elastic fiber that allows our clothes and accessories to feel particularly comfortable and adapt perfectly to the shape of the body. It is an ideal wool to wear in winter, in the off-season, for hiking or winter sports.
Alpaca wool has a high resistance and is lint-free. So you can extend the life of your clothes and accessories and keep them in good condition much longer.
Soft like Cashmere | Five times warmer than Virgin Wool | Heat-regulating like Silk
Light like Down | Uncomplicated in Care | Suitable for Allergy Sufferers & Neurodermatitis
- Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spanish_conquest_of_the_Inca_Empire&oldid=1014684206 (last visited Apr. 2, 2021).
- Poncho, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poncho&oldid=1005310219 (last visited Apr. 2, 2021)
