Alpaca Fiber is Becoming More Popular in the U.S.

Sheep’s wool is a valuable natural fiber that Merida uses to make some of its favorite area rugs, such as the new Pure line and our other wool rugs. However, there is another animal that can be safely sheered for eco-fibers: alpaca! Like sheep, alpaca are gentle grazing animals that are relatively easy to raise. Their feet are padded so they do very little damage to the land they graze, and they are more resilient animals than sheep so need less pesticides and antibiotics. Due to their camel ancestry, alpaca don’t require much water either. In fact it is quite easy to raise alpaca organically, but since 99% of alpaca fiber is grown in South America, it has a rather large carbon footprint because of the distance it travels to get to consumers in the United States.  Alpaca are typically raised in Peru, Chile, and Bolivia, but alpaca herding is an increasing business in the U.S., Australia, and Canada. Alpaca wool is in great demand because of its soft texture and sustainable qualities. The U.S., Canada, and Australia are quickly tapping into this market, and alpaca herds are growing in these countries at a rate of 15%-18% per year. In fact, economists are estimating that by the year 2020, the United States will be producing between 20%-30% of the world’s alpaca wool.

So why the rapid growth? Well, alpaca has been called a “miracle fiber” by both farmers and designers. As the eco-fashion and design industries continue to grow, there seems to be unlimited potential for alpaca wool. Alpaca herding provides profitable family farming opportunities across the U.S., especially for people that want to become part of the Sustainable Agriculture movement. Sustainable Agriculture means farming that is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just, and humane. Plus since alpacas can be many different colors, their wool doesn’t necessarily need to be dyed to create a beautiful garment. However, if the designer does want to use dye, alpaca fibers hold color quite well. Alpaca fibers are also much finer than sheep’s wool, which means that the fabric doesn’t have that same itchy feeling. Hopefully the growth of alpaca farming in the United States will help push eco-fibers into the main-stream. Lets say goodbye to petroleum based fabrics!