UYUNI - Baby Alpaca sweater (Limited Edition)

Our UYUNI sweater is part of our Impact Line. Our approach is to source from small family workshops with as few middlemen as possible. Rather than saying a small percentage of our revenue goes to charity, we aim for 100% of our production costs to flow directly to the people who do the work. No large manufacturers, wholesalers or distributors. We buy directly from the people who carry out the work. We deliberately choose to keep as many steps as possible done by hand, even where a machine could do them, such as the weaving of the baby alpaca wool for our signature sweaters from Bolivia. We choose to increase the manual effort and the production time of our products, which in turn creates more work and strengthens people's ability to support their families.

In this case, the small workshop was able to re-employ 2 people, who had been let go during Covid after a break-in, for 8 months so they could provide for their families. In total, 9 people worked on these sweaters.

Baby alpaca wool offers a number of advantages over regular wool. It is exceptionally fine, which makes it especially gentle on the skin. The wool insulates beautifully and keeps you very warm in cold weather while remaining breathable. Unlike regular wool, baby alpaca wool contains no lanolin, making it hypoallergenic and ideal for people with sensitive skin or wool allergies. The fibres are strong and hard-wearing, which gives the garments a longer life. Despite its warmth, baby alpaca wool is lighter than many other types of wool, adding to the comfort. It has a natural sheen that gives it a distinctive look, and it is naturally water-repellent, so it keeps its insulating properties even when damp. Alpaca wool is also more environmentally friendly to produce, as alpacas have a lower environmental impact, tread more gently on the ground and need less food and water.