Alpaca fiber

Alpaca fiber is a fiber that comes from an alpaca coat. But what is an alpaca?
An alpaca is animal that is from the family of the camelid. His cousin is the llama but unlike many common beliefs, they are very different. An alpaca is smaller and thinner than a llama, it has pointier ears and is softer. It is also hairier on his forehead and has a smaller neck than a llama. An alpaca has also a different temperament than a llama. It does not spit, only when truly annoyed or bothered. It is a very calm and relaxing animal. It is less arrogant, shyer and more intelligent. Llamas are mostly used for transportation whereas alpacas are mostly used for their wool. Alpacas do not make any noise and move very graciously which makes them very fun animals to be around with.

An alpaca is a very ecological friendly animal as it does not pull the root of the grass it eats but cuts it, which makes the grass grow back faster. It also does not have hooves; therefore, it does not squash the grass underneath him. It has little cushions on his feet.
It also does not need a lot of care. Therefore, the resources used to take care of the animal are very small.

There are two kinds of alpacas, the suris and the huacayas.

We will now see the different characteristics of alpaca fiber.

Alpacas are sheared during the spring, once every year, in order to let them have a longer and warmer coat during the cold weathers of winter.

The alpaca fiber has many characteristics. First of all, there are many different colors of alpacas, therefore, there are twenty-two official natural colors of alpaca fiber but many more if we count undertones. Alpaca fiber is also considered to be very fine, as it measures between 12 and 32 microns.

We also make a distinction between classic alpaca fiber and baby alpaca fiber. Baby alpaca fiber is, unlike what people can think, not a fiber that comes from a baby alpaca but it is a fiber that comes from the first shearing of the alpaca. It is a rarer fiber that is softer and thinner than the regular alpaca fiber. At BellePaga, we offer products mostly made out of baby alpaca fiber as we are very concerned with the quality of our products and seek to offer the best quality products for our customers.

Alpaca fiber has many characteristics and properties. The first one is that alpaca fiber is very warm. It is seven times warmer than sheep’s wool. While being very warm it is also very thin which makes it possible to layer clothes. Alpaca fiber is also extremely soft and comfortable. Alpaca fiber is considered to be as soft as cashmere. It also does not itch. It is a very light weighted fiber to wear and is slightly elastic which makes it adaptable to all body shapes. Alpaca fiber is also a fiber that does not pill, it is therefore a very resistant and durable fiber (4 times more than sheep’s wool). Because an alpaca has to live in conditions where the weather can vary from 40 degrees in the same day, its wool is thermoregulatory. That means that it adapts itself to the temperature of your body in order to always keep you warm without ever making you sweat. Another virtue of alpaca fiber is that alpaca fiber is hypoallergenic. Because it is a fiber that is not treated and because alpaca fiber does not contain lanolin.

But how should you take care of your alpaca fiber items?
For the washing, you can either choose to wash your items through a washing machine on a delicate or wool program but it is not the best solution for your items! We recommend to hand wash your products with a mild shampoo and no fabric softener!
Then for the drying, we recommend you to firstly use a towel to absorb all the excess water, then air dry the item flat because otherwise, it stretches the items. If you want to iron the items, we recommend you to use another fabric between the iron and the item in order to protect it from the heat.
Finally, there are also additional solutions to protect and keep your items longer. You can use our BellePaga wool shampoo and spray for extra care. Lastly, you can also choose to use lavender bags to keep moths away.
As you can see, there are many different ways to take care of your alpaca fiber products, all these solutions are also described in more details on our website, so don’t hesitate to have a look!

At BellePaga, we offer various types of socks. We have many colors and patterns, whether that is the classic plain sock, the checked sock, the stripped sock, the dotted sock and even the sock with little alpacas on it, we have so many choices! There are also many different lengths, so that everyone can find the right sock for them, whether that is knee length, mid-calf, classic length or even ankle sock, there is a lot of variety to choose from. We also offer socks in various sizes that go from a junior 12 to an adult size 5 (in a UK measuring size). You can only now want to discover our socks and our wide range of products. We have created socks that will therefore fit everybody’s styles. We are certain that whether you like to dress very classic or more urban, you will be able to find a sock that will fit your aesthetic.

Most of our socks are not 100% alpaca wool because we have incorporated some bamboo fiber in order to make the socks more hypoallergenic and breathable. That makes our socks very ecologically friendly and natural. Our BellePaga socks made out of alpaca fiber are very gentle to your skin and they can be worn by everyone, even the most sensitive skins.
They are also very comfortable to wear as we made sure that the seams were invisible and the elastic at the top of the sock was stretchy enough to fit everyone.

You can choose to wear our alpaca fiber socks whenever you like. You can wear them with a pair of boots, with sneakers or even wear them to bed! They are the perfect socks to wear at home, as they are very warm and cozy. During a cold night while watching your favorite TV show or an autumn evening while reading a book, you will find the perfect time to wear your alpaca fiber socks!

BellePaga is a young Belgium brand that produces clothing and accessories made out of alpaca fiber. It was created by two friends, a passionate of digital marketing and one that lived in Bolivia. At BellePaga we are very concerned about offering quality products to our customers.
Our alpacas live freely in Peru, without any constraints. The fiber is then used to create our products. They are handmade or hand finished by local craftsmen that are paid freely for their work. We value transparency and communication in our brand and truly seek to offer the best quality products to our customers.
We have a wide range of products, going from our most successful product: our socks, to jumpers, cardigans, scarves (both thin and large), hats, gloves, plaids, cushions, quilts but also alpaca plush. All our products are made from alpaca fiber and most of the time from baby alpaca. We offer a wide range of colors in order to please everyone.
We believe in durable and sustainable fashion. With proper care, our products can be kept years after years. Our different collections are very modest, simple and classic. Therefore, our products are timeless. Our products fit every style and can be added to any collection.

Conclusion