Fairly Traded Llama Wool Makes for Warm, Superior Beanies
Arica, Chile (PRWEB) November 04, 2014 -- Beanies are not usually a world changing product, but if Jorge del Carpio has his way they will be.
“Beanies have not changed a lot over the many decades they have been around – except those made of expensive synthetics,” states del Carpio, the founder of Fibras Andinas. “Why not introduce a beanie that stands out for being strong, soft, provides UV protection, fire resistance, and is all-natural?”
Del Carpio, who trained as a mechanical engineer at the University of Iowa and spent his early life supplying the Bolivian Army against drug cartels, has set his sights on using llama wool to effect social change. Perfecting a way to dehair the wool, which can be up to 50 percent guard hair, has made for a soft but strong product, and using the native llamas raised by Chilean Aymaras allows herders to earn a living wage.
“In the past, when things got bad, llama herders would sell off all their animals and move to cities. Many traditional skills were lost. We are turning that around by increasing demand for llama fiber and paying a fairly traded price for llama fleeces,” del Carpio said.
Last year, Fibras Andreas successfully raised enough money through Kickstarter to bring Royal Llama, a knitting yarn, to market. The response was beyond expectations with over 500 backers and more than $42,000 raised.
“We proved Royal Llama was a viable product. People all over the world really cared about what we were trying to do and really loved the softness of our llama wool,”del Carpio said.
But not everyone knows how or cares to knit and so del Carpio is now looking to raise money, once again through Kickstarter, with an offer of unique high performance functional beanies made from llama wool.
“We want everyone to be able to experience the superior qualities of llama wool. It has a high thermal capacity, does not itch, is naturally water and UV resistant, and has no lanolin in it, which means people who are allergic to sheep's wool can wear llama wool,” del Carpio said.
The Kickstarter campaign, Ultimate Llama Beanie – High Tech from the Andes, runs through November 28. The beanies start at $43 and include shipping.
Will Dockery, Red Rook Royal, http://www.redrookroyal.com, +1 479-301-1972, [email protected]
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