Not all 100% Alpaca is pure alpaca fiber

Learn about the finest alpaca fiber
Aren't all 100% Alpaca garments the same? No, they are NOT!
How gee 100% alpaca sweaters can cost from $19.99 to $400? Because the label: 100% Alpaca, does not specify the QUALITY of alpaca fiber used in that garment.
We all know that:

Alpaca fiber is one of the finest natural fibers on Earth.
We know that it is lightweight and warm.
We know that it is a NO-ITCH fiber.
We know that it is rare.
We even agree that throughout history, only the privileged classes were allowed to wear alpaca garments.
Well, as I was trying to start an online alpaca fashions business, I realized that it was hard to gepete with hundreds of websites that offered so-called 100% alpaca fiber for peanuts. Being of Peruvian orgin, I could not understand this dilemma, as I grew up knowing that alpaca fiber is expensive and as I was determined to show the world the best that Peru has to offer in the alpaca fashion world. So after extensive research andcontacts with numerous alpaca tops manufacturers and alpaca fashion designers, I have gee to one surprising conclusion that allowed me to understand the reason why two (2) supposedly equal products can have such different prices.
I hope that the following information helps you undestand that if you want a FINE alpaca fashion product, it will cost you a significant amount of money.
Buying an alpaca sweater, alpaca shawl, alpaca scarf, alpaca hat should be viewed as an investment, as it is not only a rare and luxurious fiber; it is very strong and resilient and will last for generations.
From Alpaca tops manufacturers:
We are very aware of the lack of knowledge by the consumer, with regards to products made of alpaca fiber. This fact provides a huge window of opportunity for unscrupulous business people to indiscriminately sell products said to be made of 100% baby alpaca at reduced prices. In reality, these lower priced 'Baby Alpaca' products are blends of only 20% alpaca hair and other synthetic fibers, such as acrylic and nylon, which give the 'blend' a soft feel. Occurrences of this nature harm the concept of ALPACA, which affects everyone, but the alpaca industry does little or nothing about this problem, as it is not well organized, or has sufficient means to organize and implement an educational campaign even in the main consumer markets.
Bear in mind that the majority of products are sold as 100% Alpaca when, in fact, the fiber is a blend.

Lower priced blends can cause a garment to itch.
Blends can cause so-called 100% alpaca garments to 'shed', causing, in a great percentage of cases, allergies and/or breathing disgefort.
Cheap blends use shorter lengths of alpaca hair, which make the resulting yarns weaker.
Cheap blends use thicker alpaca hair (of 30-32 microns in diameter) whichcauses the fiber to itch.
Alpaca blends have two (2) purposes:

To lower the price of the yarns gepared to 100% Alpaca hair (Baby Alpaca or FS Alpaca)
To improve the feel of the yarns and resulting garments.
Some of the more costly alpaca fiber blends are gemonly used blends in the high end fashion market and thus the consumer should also expect to pay a higher price. These blends are numerous, but the following are a few of them.

Baby Alpaca - (not a blend) 100% Baby Alpaca. The most expensive of the alpaca fibers. Fiber diameter ranges from 21-22.5 microns. All natural. Natural thermal qualities. Lightweight. Luxuriously soft to the touch. Natural luster. No-Itch. Fluffier than 100% FS Alpaca.
Babysilk - Baby alpaca blended with silk. $32.50/kg. 20% of the blend is silk. 80% is FS Alpaca. Increases the luster of the fiber and the softness of pure alpaca but it is very expensive.
FS Alpaca - (not a blend) 100% FS Alpaca is the real thing, at fiber diameter ranging between 25 and 26.5 microns. Natural thermal qualities. Lightweight. Luxuriously soft to the touch. Natural luster. No-Itch.
Pisac Blend - NM Alpaca blended with silk. $26/kg. Similar characteristics as above.
Urcos Blend - 80% FS Alpaca hair blended with 20% merino wool. $17.50/kg. It costs significantly less than 100% FS Alpaca. It does not feel as soft as 100% FS Alpaca and results in a fluffier garment.
Lari Blend - 50% FS Alpaca / 50% Acrylic. $15.00/kg. The resulting garment will be lighter and softer than a 100% alpaca fiber garment. But the thermal qualities of 100% FS alpaca will not be present.
Also, bear in mind that other blends are available in the market, such as Alpaca/Mohair, Alpaca /Angora, Alpaca/Cashmere, Alpaca/Cotton, etc. But get this, the reason why they started blending alpaca hair with these well known, well respected and expensive fibers is because alpaca is still a fiber that is not well known, yet all the other fibers listed are. These blends were created as a marketing scheme! In this manner, the consumer can start associating Alpaca with other fine natural fibers.
In the alpaca world, remember that the thinner the fiber (less microns) the softer the feel of the garment and the most expensive the product.
Remember that you get what you pay for when you purchase alpaca garments.
Please visit my okay store for a small sampling of Peruvian alpaca fashions at wholesale prices: stores.okay.ge/alpacasweatersperu