Vicuña
Also known as: Vicuña, Vicuna
The finest natural fibre in the world (12 µm) from the wild vicuña of the Andes — shorn only every two years.
Description
The vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) is a wild South American camelid of the high Andes between 3,500 and 5,500 m — in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Ecuador. Its wool measures about 12 µm and is the finest natural fibre in the world, finer than cashmere and cashgora. Each animal yields only 250–450 grams of wool per shearing, and shearing is done only every two years.
During the Inca era around 1.5 million vicuñas lived; Spanish colonial hunting reduced the stock to about 6,000 animals by 1965. Thanks to strict CITES protection and the traditional Chaccu (a Peruvian ceremony with funnel-shaped capture and gentle shearing), the population has recovered to about 350,000. The fibre may only be traded with a state certificate of origin. Loro Piana and Ermenegildo Zegna are the best-known processors — a vicuña coat costs 20,000–50,000 euros.
- Finest natural fibre in the world: about 12 µm
- Shorn only every two years, max. 450 g per animal
- CITES-protected — only traded with certificate of origin
- Traditional harvest: Chaccu ceremony in Peru
Properties
| Fibre type | Animal hair, wild camelid (approx. 12 µm) |
|---|---|
| Origin | Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina |
| Application | Luxury coats, jackets, scarves (Loro Piana, Zegna) |
| Certificates | CITES certificate of origin, Vicuña label |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Vikunja Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikunja
- CITES cites.org https://cites.org/
