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| Find useful info about Fair |
| Trade, certifications, links |
and media coverage. GO  |
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| What is Fair Trade? |
| Fair Trade is an organized social and commercial movement aiming to offer better trading conditions to marginalized groups of farmers, and artisans in developing countries. |
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| Visit the Artisans we whom |
| we work. We organize trips! |
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| ALPACA CLOTHING INFO |
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| Table of Contents |
| 1. What is Alpaca? |
| 2. The Alpaca and the Andean people |
| 3. Alpaca Fibre Facts |
| 4. Our clothes: Hand spun and hand knit |
| 5. Environmental Campaign: Save Coloured Alpacas! |
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| 1. What is Alpaca? |
The alpaca is a member of the Camelidaes
family, along with the camel and the lama.
It was domesticated by pre-Inca civilizations
more than 15 centuries ago. |
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2. The Alpaca and the Andean people |
Alpaca farmers live in rural communities and are among
the most marginalized groups in Peruvian society due to
their geographic isolation and their language: quechua |
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These people depend heavily on the alpaca, which
provides them with meat, fibre to make clothes, and
excrement to use as fuel and fertilizer. |
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3. Alpaca Fibre Facts |
Its limited quantity, natural colours, and softness are
what differentiate alpaca fibre from many others. |
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The alpaca lives at altitudes of up to 5,200 meters in the
Andes, where it is exposed to extreme weather
conditions. At this altitude, the air has almost no oxygen
and the landscape is basically just rock. |
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Having survived and adapted to these environmental
conditions, the alpaca has developed a particular fibre:
Warmth: To protect the animal from the cold (three times
warmer than wool).
Sheen: To reflect and minimize the effects of the sun.
Lightweight: To keep the animal's weight low to minimize
its physical effort (and thus its need for oxygen).
Strength: To protect the animal from the tough, rocky
environment. |
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4. Our clothes: Hand spun and hand knit |
All the features of the alpaca fibre are reflected in our
garments, since every step of the production process is
carried out by hand. Softness and strength are two
crucial characteristics that may be lost when the alpaca
fibre is treated in the industrial sector. |
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All our alpaca garments are made of 100% Alpaca
(Huarcaya variety). |
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Most of the artisans knit the pieces while carrying out their
daily activities (there is no factory!). Naturally, since
people are not machines, it is impossible to make two
identical pieces, so every article is one-of-a-kind! |
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Most of our alpaca garments are undyed. We use all the
natural shades of the alpaca, including black, grey, white,
beige, and brown. There are 21 in all! When dyes are
used, we give priority to natural dyes. |
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| 5. Environmental Campaign: |
-----------------------------Save Coloured Alpacas! |
We are involved in an
environmental campaign to save the coloured alpaca from
extinction. This danger of extinction is due to the growing
demand for white alpaca fibre. The white fibre is easier to
dye and eliminates the need to sort the colours. |
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This situation has been discouraging small farmers from
raising coloured alpacas. Farmers are forced to isolate
their animals to prevent them from mating. In the end, the
animals are killed for food or sold for their fur. |
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Thousands of coloured alpacas die every year, putting the
species at risk by weakening its genetic diversity. Help us
to raise awareness of this danger! |
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| Download PowerPoint presentation |
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| More information in the following links: |
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| Punku sell fair trade gifts, handicrafts, sweatshop free clothing, ethically clothing, ethnique ocarinas, water whistle, fair trade alpaca clothing, handmade garments, fairtrade apparel, alpaca hats, etc. To buy socially conscious gifts or to buy fair trade gifts please visit our online store: alpaca mittens, fairtrade pottery items, masks, fair trade mobiles, fair trade Christmas items, fairtrade musical instrument, fair trade jewelry (jewellery), fairtrade accessories, etc. Punku’s favorite fair trade stores are : globalexchange, worldofgoods, peridar, ten thousand villages, etc. Punku is listed or is part of the following ethical directories or ethical associations: ethiquette, coopamerica, equiterre, etc. Punku is a fair trade distributor wholesaler and a fair trade online store - online boutique. |
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