Alpaca wool is one of the most extraordinary natural materials on the planet. It’s as soft as cashmere, warmer than sheep’s wool, and contains no lanolin so it’s hypoallergenic. Native to the Andean plateau of South America, alpacas have evolved over millennia to survive the harsh conditions of the mountains where altitudes vary between 3,500 and 5,000 metres, and intensely hot days are followed by sub zero nights. Their fleeces have become a livelihood for native Andean communities, providing them with a constant source of warm clothing and income.

Alpaca fibres are hollow. So when it’s cold they are highly effective at trapping and retaining heat. When it’s hot, they quickly absorb and wick away sweat much faster than other natural materials, with some studies showing alpaca fibres outperforming Merino wool fibres by more than 80%. This makes alpaca wool one of the most versatile and adaptive natural materials on the planet. The hollow fibres also give it a high ‘thermal capacity to weight ratio’, so even a small amount of alpaca wool keeps you warm.

Examine a fibre of lambswool under a microscope and you’ll notice that it appears coarser than alpaca, with more pronounced scales on the surface. These scales latch onto each other and lock the fibres together, giving lambswool its springy quality. Alpaca has a higher tensile strength than wool, but its smoother fibres give it a lower elasticity, meaning that it doesn’t retain its shape as effectively when stretched. So we use a 50:50 blend of superfine alpaca and organic lambswool to combine the best qualities of each natural material.

The yarn in our Sub Zero Beanie is spun by Sesia, a carbon neutral mill in the foothills of the Italian Alps. Known for their responsible approach to fashion, they specialise in organic natural materials and hold multiple ethical and environmental accreditations from bodies including OEKO-TEX, ICEA, and the Better Cotton Initiative. The wool is certified free from the harmful practice of mulesing and the yarn is left totally undyed, so the colours seen in the finished product are a reflection of the natural fleeces of the alpaca and the sheep.