Guanaco: The Overshadowed Luxury Fiber
The guanaco is a member of the camel family native to South America and the wild animal from which the llama and alpaca were domesticated. Prized for its fine wool, the guanaco has a reddish double-coat with a thick, course overcoat and a soft, downy undercoat. Because it was once over-hunted for both its meat and wool, the guanaco is now a rare, protected species and its fine wool is sustainably harvested to be made into luxury products.
Unlike its domesticated relatives, the llama and alpaca, guanacos are not bred or kept in captivity for their wool. Rather, they are captured and sheared by South American fiber collectors then released back into the wild. There are only approximately 500,000 guanacos living wild in South America, so they are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). Only sales of guanaco products that are accompanied by a CITES certificate are legal and guarantee that the fiber was sustainably collected.
Why Guanaco Wool?
The guanaco is an adaptable animal that lives in a range of arid climates around South America, including coastlines, plains, plateaus, and mountains at elevations ranging from sea level to over 17,000 feet. However, the guanaco prefers cold, open areas that are exposed to high winds and the harshest mountain conditions. This makes guanaco wool some of the most versatile, providing warmth and protection from the wind, rain, sun, cold, and heat. Even light guanaco garments can provide humans with a thick layer of defense from the elements, and the fiber feels wonderful against the skin.
Guanaco wool is overshadowed by two related, comparablewools: alpaca and vicuña. Although guanaco is considered one of the finest fibers in the world, alpaca wool is much more common and vicuña wool is even more prized. The more endangered vicuña (only approximately 150,000 left in South America) is the guanaco’s wild cousin and its wool is considered the finest natural fiber in the world. The alpaca is the guanaco’s domestic cousin, now bred all over the world for its soft wool and adaptation to several different regions and climates.
The guanaco’s downy undercoat makes extremely warm wool that is comparable to cashmere in softness. The wool is spun into yarn and knit or woven into luxury garments. It is considered the second finest natural fiber in the world, after vicuña. A number of reasons combine to make guanaco wool rare and prized: the scarcity of the animals; the small diameter of the fiber, which gives the wool its extreme softness; the intricate process of separating the downy undercoat from the rough overcoat; and the low yield of fiber per animal (2 to 3 pounds of wool per adult).
Like alpaca wool, guanaco wool is extremely warm and soft, lightweight, water resistant, and durable. The wool’s natural oils resist dirt, limiting the number of necessary washings and prolonging the life of the fiber. The downy undercoat produces a creamy white to light camel-colored fiber that can be spun into a variety of natural shades. Its warm color is woven into many timeless garments that include sweaters, shawls, ponchos, scarves, coats, hats, mittens, and blankets.
Ways to Wear Guanaco
Guanaco wool is most commonly knit into a scarf or shawl. The contemporary shawl is a classy way to stay comfortably wrapped up in a wearable blanket on a cold winter day. Billowy yet flattering shawls are a popular alternative to sweaters and coats this fall and winter, and the natural colors of a guanaco shawl will match your entire wardrobe. Try pairing a guanaco shawl with jeans and a t-shirt for a classy casual look or with a pencil skirt and collared shirt for a smart look. And a guanaco shawl always makes the perfect off-the-shoulder wrap for any special evening occasion, winter or summer.
