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• Vicuña:
  The Golden Fleece

  Simply stated, vicuña fleece is the rarest, most expensive natural fibre in the world. Its insulating properties make it warmer than wool. And with an average of only 12 microns, vicuña fiber is much finer than cashmere, which reaches 17 microns.

• Vicuña:
  What is a vicuña?

  Cousin to the alpaca, llama and the wild guanaco, the vicuña is the smallest member of the camelid family, weighing approximately 100 pounds and standing just under three feet high at the shoulder. Vicuñas live in the extremes of the high-altitude altiplano regions of the Andes, well above the tree line.

• Vicuña:
  What is a vicuña? (continued)

  The incredibly soft and luxurious fleece of the vicuña-with natural colors ranging from golden brown to deep fawn-has made this shy and diminutive creature a most sought-after treasure since the time of the Incas.

• Vicuña:
  The Sacred Vicuña

  According to ancient Inca legend, the vicuña was the reincarnation of a beautiful young maiden who was courted by an old, ugly king. She would only consent to his advances if he promised her a coat of pure gold. And that is how the vicuña came to have its golden fleece. Considered to be sacred by the Incas, only royalty were allowed to wear its precious fleece.

• Vicuña:
  The Sacred Vicuña (continued)

  Anyone who harmed one of these animals was punished with death. About every four years, the Inca ruler would call for a chaccu, a communal roundup to capture the vicuñas for shearing. The precious animals were herded into pens where specially appointed subjects would carefully clip the golden fleece. After the shearing, the vicuñas were released into the wild unharmed.

• Vicuña:
  Rescue from Extinction

  The allure of vicuña fleece continues in the present day. Today, vicuñas are still worshipped as sacred animals by the Aymara Indians of Peru and Bolivia. Unfortunately, due to the high value of the fleece, vicuñas were enthusiastically hunted from the time of the Spanish conquistadors through the 1960s, at which point they were near to extinction.

• Vicuña:
  Rescue from Extinction (continued)

  By 1974, there were only about 6,000 vicuñas left. Thanks to conservation efforts, careful management and strict anti-poaching efforts, the vicuña has made a strong comeback, with a current census of more than 150,000.

• Vicuña:
  Modern-Day Chaccus

  Vicuñas remain protected in Peru, allowing for only very limited commercial harvesting of vicuña fibre through carefully managed, modern-day chaccus. These programs guarantee that the animal was captured, sheared alive, returned to the wild, and cannot be sheared again for another two years.

• Vicuña:
  Modern-Day Chaccus (continued)

  Chaccus also ensure that a large portion of the profits return to the villagers, giving them a sustainable source of income.

• Vicuña:
  Vicuña at a Glance

  • Most luxurious and expensive fibre in the world
  • The insulating fibre is warmer than wool and finer than cashmere
  • Vicuña fleece is harvested in very limited quantities
  • Promotes a sustainable income source for Andean farmers.

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