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Vicuña wool refers to the
hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
of the South American
vicuña The vicuña (''Lama vicugna'') or vicuna (both , very rarely spelled ''vicugna'', Vicugna, its former genus name) is one of the two wild South American camelids, which live in the high alpine tundra, alpine areas of the Andes; the other cameli ...
, a
camelid Camelids are members of the biological family (biology), family Camelidae, the only currently living family in the suborder Tylopoda. The seven extant taxon, extant members of this group are: dromedary, dromedary camels, Bactrian camels, wild Bac ...
related to llamas and alpacas. The wool has, after shahtoosh, the second smallest fiber
diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the centre of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest Chord (geometry), chord of the circle. Both definitions a ...
of all animal hair and is the most expensive legal wool.


Properties

The
down hair A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an ...
of the vicuña used for the production of vicuña wool is, with an average hair diameter of 11–13.5
micron The micrometre (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a uni ...
s, one of the finest animal hairs. Only shahtoosh, the hair of the
Tibetan antelope The Tibetan antelope or chiru (''Pantholops hodgsonii'') (, pronounced ; ) is a medium-sized bovid native to the northeastern Tibetan plateau. Most of the population live within the Chinese border, while some scatter across India and Bhutan in ...
, is finer, with an average diameter of 8–13 microns.Carol Ekarius: ''The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook.'' Storey Publishing, 2011, , pp. 381–382. Among animal textile fibers, besides shahtoosh, only the various
silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
s and
byssus A byssus () is a bundle of filaments secreted by many species of bivalve mollusc that function to attach the mollusc to a solid surface. Species from several families of clams have a byssus, including pen shells ( Pinnidae), true mussels (Mytili ...
have a smaller fiber diameter. The surface structure of the fiber has scales as in sheep wool.Miguel Angel Gardetti: ''Handbook of Sustainable Luxury Textiles and Fashion.'' Springer, 2015, , p. 107. The scale spacing is between 7 and 14 scale rings per 100 microns.Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu, Miguel Angel Gardetti: ''Sustainable Fibres for Fashion Industry.'' Springer, 2016, , p. 20. The cell arrangement of the fiber is bilateral in
transmission electron microscopy Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a microscopy technique in which a beam of electrons is transmitted through a specimen to form an image. The specimen is most often an ultrathin section less than 100 nm thick or a suspension on a g ...
(as also in
guanaco The guanaco ( ; ''Lama guanicoe'') is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids; the other species is the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations. Etymology The gua ...
hair), while it is disordered in
llama The llama (; or ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a List of meat animals, meat and pack animal by Inca empire, Andean cultures since the pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with ...
and
alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recentl ...
.Menachem Lewin: ''Handbook of Fiber Chemistry, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded.'' CRC Press, 1998, , p. 403. In addition, vicuña wool can also be identified by
mass spectrometry Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The results are presented as a ''mass spectrum'', a plot of intensity as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. Mass spectrometry is used ...
.E. Price, D. Larrabure, B. Gonzales, P. McClure, E. Espinoza: ''Forensic identification of the keratin fibers of South American camelids by ambient ionization mass spectrometry: Vicuña, alpaca and guanaco.'' In: ''Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM.'' Band 34, Nummer 23, Dezember 2020, S. e8916, ,


Extraction and processing

The
Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
s herded vicuñas by the tens of thousands into
pens PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) *PEN International, a worldwide association of writers **English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International **PEN America, located in ...
, sheared the wool for the exclusive use of high nobles, and then released the animals. In the 20th century vicuñas were hunted for their fur, so that the population declined to about 8,000 animals and was put under wild life protection.Paula Hammond: ''The Atlas of Endangered Animals: Wildlife Under Threat Around the World.'' Marshall Cavendish reference, 2010. ISBN 9780761478720. p. 173. Vicuñas were listed in
CITES CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...
appendix I until 1994, when conservation efforts had led to a partial restoration of the population and vicuñas were listed in appendix II.Kirsten M. Silvius' ''People in Nature''. Columbia University Press, 2012. , p. 155, 164. Nowadays vicuñas are a
protected species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, invasiv ...
. In Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina they are kept free-ranging in
national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
s for commercial use, and more rarely in extensive enclosures (especially in Argentina). In Peru, three companies were licensed in 1994 to harvest vicuña wool legally:
Loro Piana Loro Piana S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion brand specialized in textile manufacturing and ready-to-wear clothing headquartered in Milan, Italy. Since its start as a merchant of cashmere, vicuña, linen and merino fabrics, Loro Piana expa ...
, Agnona, and Incalpaca TPX. In 2009, 5500 to 6000
kilogram The kilogram (also spelled kilogramme) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand grams. It has the unit symbol kg. The word "kilogram" is formed from the combination of the metric prefix kilo- (m ...
s of vicuña wool were harvested worldwide. The hair of the vicuña is used to make a variety of products. The hair of the vicuña is sheared in pens after a traditional roundup ("chaccu"). A wool with an average fiber length of 2–4 cm is obtained every other year. The weight of shorn wool hairs per animal is about 250 g every two years to 450 g, after removal of unwanted guard hairs from the down hair. Before processing, the down hair is separated from the
guard hair Guard hair or overhair is the outer layer of hair of most mammals, which overlay the fur. Guard hairs are long and coarse and protect the rest of the pelage (fur) from abrasion and frequently from moisture. They are visible on the surface of the ...
by sorting. After sorting the wool, the down hairs are spun into
yarn Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. '' Thread'' is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern ...
and woven or
knitted Knitting is a method for production of textile fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. Knitting creates stitches: ...
into
textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...
s. The surface of woven fabrics is often roughened with a raising card to create a softer feel, higher volume and greater thermal insulation Vicuña wool is considered the rarest and most expensive legal wool in the world; in 2010, raw wool traded for about 7-15 dollars per
ounce The ounce () is any of several different units of mass, weight, or volume and is derived almost unchanged from the , an Ancient Roman unit of measurement. The avoirdupois ounce (exactly ) is avoirdupois pound; this is the United States ...
. The sorted and spun yarn trades at about $300 per ounce. It is usually processed in its natural color, as the structure of vicuña hair suffers from
bleaching Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...
or
dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...
.Katherine Gumiel Conzelmann: ''Dyeing Effects on Physical Properties of Vicuña & Other Luxury Specialty Fibers.'' 2015, Clive Hallett, Amanda Johnston: ''Fabric for Fashion: The Complete Guide Second Edition.'' Hachette UK, 2022. ISBN 9781529419962. Northern populations of vicuñas display a more cinnamon-like coat color on the back, southern ones a beige hue; the hair on the belly represents a smaller portion that is much lighter in color. White wool is traded at higher prices.Thomas Rusche: ''Kleines SØR-Brevier der Kleidungskultur: der Ratgeber für den Herrn.'' LIT Verlag Münster, 1991. ISBN 9783894731014. p. 136. In addition to knitted
sweater A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jersey or jumper (British English, Hiberno-English and Australian English),
s and
sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...
s, vicuña wool is also used to weave
fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...
s that are made into exclusive tailored clothing. A sport coat can cost up to $21,000, a made-to-measure suit starts at $32,000.


Cleaning

Like all
protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
-based fibers (wool, silk), products made from vicuña wool must be cleaned by
dry cleaning Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water. Clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent (usually non-polar, as opposed to water which is a Solvent#Solvent classifications, polar ...
(water-free) or by hand in lukewarm water with a mild detergent. Detergents which contain
bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...
or
enzymes An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as pro ...
( protein-degrading enzymes) are unsuitable, as they damage the hair structure. In the case of
hydrophilic A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. In contrast, hydrophobes are n ...
textiles, such as textiles made of wool, water contact can lead to thread shortening and thus to shrinkage of the textile due to swelling and the shrinkage that follows during drying. Shrinkage is intensified in
clothes dryer A clothes dryer (tumble dryer, drying machine, drying device, or simply dryer) is a powered Home appliance, household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually after they are washed in ...
s. Due to a tendency to felting, textiles made of vicuña wool should not be wrung or rubbed, but can be dabbed.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vicuña wool Wool Indigenous textile art of the Americas