Peru

Peru is known for luxury textiles, and is synonymous with alpaca wool, offering a luxury alternative to cashmire. For many years, alpacas in Peru, which have been raised for their wool for thousands of years, were subject to a ban on exports. Today, nearly 80 per cent of the total alpaca population lives in Peru and produces 25,000 kilograms of wool per year. Communities in the Andes raise the animals; their wool is then collected, selected and classified by middlemen. They sell the wool to yarn manufacturers in Peru, who supply manufacturers in the country. As a result, value creation takes place mainly within a single country, which is rare in today's globalised clothing industry.

Pure Origin is bringing the best of Peruvian manufacturers to London to help inspire new collections in this timeless material.