Vicuna
The wool of the Vicuña, also known as Vicuña, comes from a rare South American camelid adapted to extremely cold environments. This precious wool, renowned for its softness and durability, is obtained from Vicuñas living among the Andes mountains, from which legends tell that they were born from divine intervention. It is said that Wiracocha, the creator of the universe, intended to punish humans, but an immortal being, Auki, persuaded him to grant a second chance. However, Auki fell in love with a human woman, forgetting his promise, and they had children. When Wiracocha descended to Earth to punish them, he was struck by the beauty of the children and transformed the family into snowy mountains and creatures with the characteristics of their parents. Thus, the Vicuñas were born, free to roam the Andean steppes forever.
Origins
Today, eighty percent of the world's Vicuña population lives in Peru within large protected nature reserves, bred by small local communities in traditional ways. For thousands of years, before the discovery of the Americas, the vicuna was the object of great veneration, with its extremely precious wool used exclusively to dress the royals, the "children of the sun" of the Andean populations. In the 16th century, when the Spanish arrived in Tahuantinsuyo, as the Inca Empire was then called, there were three million Vicuñas. The lack of foresight of the Spanish crown brought the species to the brink of extinction, until the sixties of the twentieth century, when the world population of the small camelid was reduced to less than five thousand specimens. Only then was a slow process of safeguarding initiated, whose objectives were achieved only towards the end of the century. In 1976, vicuna was included in the world list of species in need of the highest degree of protection within the UN international convention.
Features
Because of its rarity and extraordinary beauty, vicuna wool is nicknamed "the fleece of the Gods". Famous for its warmth, finesse and splendour, it owes its extraordinary properties to the tiny scales located on the hollow fibres of the mantle that trap the air, making the wool insulating, extremely warm and comfortable. That of vicuna is finer than any other wool in the world with a diameter of 12 microns, is even thinner than cashmere that reaches 15 microns, so sensitive to chemical treatment that is usually left in its natural colour, a warm golden brown.
Processing
The vicuna wool is incredibly rare, the yield of the individual animals is very low, an adult animal provides about one hundred grams of fibre every two years. Furthermore, the vicuna has not been domesticated by man, it lives in the wild, its mantle is taken from animals caught in the wild, then released in full respect of the most ancient breeding techniques.
The rural communities then proceed to the removal of the coarser hairs that grow in the soft fur. The softer, purer and thinner fibres will then be thoroughly washed in lukewarm water and dried in the open air. The whole process is carried out by expert hands, the techniques are delicate, very ancient, handed down from generation to generation among the Andean communities. The exclusive preference for manual processing at all stages of production allows us to preserve the wonderful qualities of the raw material unaltered, and also to keep the ecosystem intact and to protect the local culture. Once the purest fibre is obtained, the textile processing of Vicuña wool that takes place in Malo's workshops is similar to the creation of a work of art.
Wash and care
Famous for its warmth, fineness, and splendor, Vicuña wool owes its extraordinary properties to the tiny scales found on the hollow fibers of the mantle, which trap air, making it insulating, extremely warm, and comfortable.
- Hand washing is always preferable; the water should never exceed thirty degrees, as if too hot, the garment may shrink.
- After adding a tablespoon of specific delicate detergent, immerse the garment inside out in water, avoiding soaking for more than ten minutes. Rinse your garment with fresh water, being careful not to rub it.
- Avoid wringing it out, as it could lose its shape. Lay the garment on a clean towel on a flat surface, delicately roll up the ends to remove excess water.
- Lay your garment in its natural shape on another towel or a drying rack. Avoid hanging it, as the fabric may distort.
- When the garment is completely dry, fold it and store it in the wardrobe. The most stringent experts suggest letting it rest for at least twenty-four hours before wearing it again.