4. What is fiber
What is vicuna
What is vicuna looks
like
Diagram of vicuna
Scientific
classification
What is vicuna fiber
History
Source & origin
Physical properties
Others information
End products
Vicuna fiber facts
Manufacturing
process
Made by vicuna fiber
Uses
5. The material, which consists fibrous structure
and length is thousand times higher than its
width is called fiber. It is also the generic term
used to describe the basic element of the
material from which yarns, woven, knits and
other substances are made.
6. The vicuña is the national animal of Peru. The vicuña
(Vicugna vicugna) or vicugna is one of two wild
South American camelids, along with the guanaco,
which live in the high alpine areas of the andes. The
vicuna, one of the wildest of animals, is less then 3
feet (90cm) high and weighs 75 to 100 pounds (35-
45 kg).
7. The vicuna looks like a long-haired,
shaggy llama, with thin, softest wool
that covers its eyes and often drags n
the ground beneath its body. Vicuna are
gentle animals that are not agreeable
with people. They live about 20 years,
stand about 3 feet (90cm) in height,
and weigh between 75 to 100 pounds
(35-45 kg.). Much like sheep, they graze
on grasses and chew a cud. Vicuna
reproduction is fairly trouble-free and
gestation is between 11 and 12 months.
8.
9. Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Tribe: Lamini
Genus: Vicugna
Species: V. vicugna
Binomial name Vicugna vicugna
(Molina, 1782)
10. The vicuna fiber is a hair fiber; its made by vicunas hair. The
rare animal whose fiber makes the world’s most costly and
most exquisite cloth, surpassing all others in fineness and
beauty. It is the most expensive fiber used in suitings. Its
natural color is orange-brown. The fiber of the vicuna is the
softest and most delicate of the known animal fibers. Vicuna is
the world’s costliest textile product and surpasses all other
wool and hair fibers in
fineness and beauty.
11. Members of the Camelid family (Vicuna, Guanco,
Llama and Alpaca)
Native to Andean Mountain range of South
America
Primarily found in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile
1. First imported in the United States in 1984
2. Domesticated for over 5,000 years
12. Vicunas live exclusively in South America,
primarily in the central Andes. They are
native to Peru, northwestern Argentina,
Bolivia, and northern Chile, with a
smaller, introduced population in central
Ecuador. Peru has the largest number.
13. Micronaire value of fiber 12-14
Length of fiber 35 mm
Diameter of fiber 6-10 micrometer
14. To preserve the species, the vicuna is now
under the protection of the Peruvian and
Bolivian governments. Attempts to
domesticate this animal have not been very
successful but are still being made in peru.
A single animal yields only ¼ pound (100g) of
hair ; thus forty animals are required to
provide enough hair for the average coat.
15. • Main end-product is fiber
• In ancient times, vicuna fiber was known
as the "Fiber of Gods"
• Soft as cashmere and lighter and warmer
than wool
• Hypo-allergenic and contains no lanolin
• Comes in many natural colors
16. • Vicuna is found naturally in many distinct colors. The
fiber can also be blended to produce an infinite array
of natural colors. It also takes dyes well.
• The fiber from al vicuna is unusually strong and
resilient.
• Raised at high altitudes in freezing cold, the vicuna has
developed more thermal capacity in its fiber than
almost any other animal. The fiber contains
microscopic air pockets which create lightweight
garments with high insulation values.
• Vicuna has a natural, rich luster which gives garments
made from 100% vicuna high visual appeal.
• Vicuna is easily dyed any color and always retains its
natural luster.
17. • An vicuna produces enough fleece each year to
create six to eight soft, warm sweaters.
• Vicuna fleece produces a high yield of clean fiber
after processing: 87 to 95 percent for vicuna
versus 43 to 76 percent for sheep's wool.
• It is not easier and high expensive to process than
sheep's wool due to its lack of grease or lanolin,
and vicuna does not have to be de-haired like
cashmere or camel.
• Vicuna can be scoured or cleaned without using
chemicals.
18. STEP-1. CHACCU CEREMONY:
The use of Vicuna fiber in the manufacture of
garments, always reserved for the use of the
ruling classes, dates from pre-Inca times. The
animal was never killed, but was captured,
sheared and then set free - because the
Andean man never felt he was the owner of
the Vicuna, and regarded it as a divine gift
whose fleece alone would be used. In order to
catch and shear the Vicunas, the ancient
Andean civilizations developed an exceptional
technique which even to this day proves to be
the only effective one
19. It is the Chaccu, and consists of an enormous,
well-organized human chain which, while
producing noises with different instruments,
waving flags of different colors and uttering the
cry 'chaccu', they close in around the herds of
Vicunas in order to encircle the animals
completely. The Vicunas are sheared in a
complex giving of thanks ritual that is full the
mysticism, color and magic . The animals are then
set free again, without having suffered any harm
whatsoever.
20. STEP-2. DE HARING:
Once in possession of this most valuable treasure,
the fleece of the Vicuna, the villagers proceed to
remove the coarse guard hairs which grow
naturally among the soft fur. This will then be
carefully washed in lukewarm water and put out
to dry, without using any forced ventilation
systems. All this is done manually, making use of
delicate and extremely ancient techniques passed
down for thousands of years from generation to
generation and which are still, fortunately, known
by many in the Andean communities.
21. STEP-3. TEXTILE PROCESSING:
The textile processing of Vicuna fiber is akin
to the creation of a work of art from precious
raw materials, and those who participate in
each of the different stages must have great
manual dexterity and keen senses.
The first part of the production process, which
starts with capturing, shearing, and setting
the animal free, followed by de-hairing,
transporting, washing and drying the fleece, is
carried out by expert hands.
22. By contrast, the second stage of the process,
balancing the two worlds, uses the most
sophisticated technology available to the textile
industry in order to process this exceptionally fine
and relatively short fiber. After spinning a delicate
yarn of optimum characteristics, weaving, and
carrying out a delicate finishing process, then a
beautiful luxurious cloth and is produced
surpassing all weavings in the world in its beauty
and quality.
23. As of June, 2007, prices for vicuña fabrics can
range from $1,800 to $3,000 per yard. Vicuña
wool can be used for apparel (such as socks,
sweaters, accessories, shawls, coats, and suits)
and home fashion (such as blankets and
throws). A scarf costs around $1500, while a
man's coat can cost up to $20,000.