Eco-responsible fashion

Find out how we guarantee that our clothes are produced in an eco-responsible way.

With our brand of alpaca wool clothing and accessories, we are celebrating the handicrafts and creative artisans with whom we work and who are thousands of kilometres away in Peru. Local producers have ancestral traditional know-how that enables them to create unique and authentic products. This work enables them to earn money and survive in their country.  

La Maison de l'Alpaga works with small breeders who respect the animals and let them live and evolve in their natural habitat in the Andes Cordillera, at an altitude of over 4,000 metres. No fences or barriers. The fibre comes from its spring shearing. Our relationship with the artisans is based on dialogue, transparency and respect to ensure that all the garments are made with respect. Our local right-hand man, Eduardo, often visits the breeders to ensure that the exchange is fair. He often talks to the manager of our brand to develop our relations in Peru. Eduardo is the very image of La Maison de l'Alpaga in Peru. He is our faithful representative when we can't travel. This human aspect is very important to us because it contributes to sustainable development and enables all those involved to live with dignity. We want the best quality for our products and we are constantly looking for the perfect balance to satisfy everyone.

Eco-responsible fashion:

To know if a garment is eco-responsible, you need to check several points:

The place where a garment is made is often a good indicator of the working conditions of the workers. Yet in many fashion shops, you'll find that most clothing labels indicate countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Turkey and even Ethiopia. Fortunately, there are factories that practice responsible and good social practices. To ensure the well-being of the artisans involved in clothing production, certified labels carry out regular, independent checks.

The distance travelled between the place where the garment is made and the place where it is sold. It's important to encourage local production, and a poor country like Peru needs help to develop. This is the choice we have made at La Maison de l'Alpaga. To limit carbon emissions, we have chosen to import our products only once a year. In this way, we are contributing to the development of the local economy in Peru while minimising ecological damage.

The origin of the garment must also be studied. A garment made from alpaca wool is made from alpaca wool harvested directly from the animal's fleece in the spring. To be eco-responsible, a garment must also respect animal welfare. And at La Maison de l'Alpaga, we take great care to ensure that our products respect animals. 

We originally created this brand because we were won over by the beauty and softness of this animal. The wonderful thing about alpacas is that shearing them is not optional as it is for some other animals, for alpacas it is vital. Not shearing an alpaca could not only blind it but also kill it. An alpaca's fleece can kill it for two main reasons if it is not shorn once a year: firstly, because of the weight, as the wool regenerates and grows all the time; secondly, because of climate change. In Peru in summer, temperatures are excessively high and so alpacas have to bear the weight and heat of their fur all summer long if they are not shorn. 

We have chosen to leave our production in Peru for several reasons. To guarantee a mastery of the local and ancestral know-how of alpaca wool, but also and above all because in Peru the alpaca is seen as the totem animal. It is protected and seen as a divinity. We didn't want our animals to be mistreated like the big industries that buy animals in countries around the world and bring them to France or elsewhere, only to use them as objects without mercy. This is absolutely not what we want at La Maison de l'Alpaga. We are in favour of animal welfare and the survival of species. Eco-responsible fashion above all.

For more information on animal welfare, visit the PETA France website.