Alpaca fleece is the
natural fiber harvested from an
alpaca. It is light or heavy in weight, depending on how it is spun. It is a soft, durable, luxurious
and silky
natural fiber. While similar to
sheep’s wool, it is warmer, not prickly, and has no
lanolin, which makes it
hypoallergenic.
Alpaca is naturally water-repellent and difficult to ignite.
Huacaya, an alpaca that grows soft spongy fiber, has natural
crimp, thus making a naturally elastic yarn well-suited for knitting. Suri has far less crimp and thus is a better fit for woven goods. The designer Armani has used Suri alpaca to fashion men's and women's suits.
. Alpaca fleece is made into various products, from very simple and inexpensive garments made by the aboriginal communities to sophisticated, industrially made and expensive products such as suits. In the United States, groups of smaller alpaca breeders have banded together to create "fiber
co-ops," to make the manufacture of alpaca fiber products less expensive.