Encyclopedia of Rare Animal Fibers

Origin: Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile. Wild camelid of the Andes. Community shearing (chacu) every 2-3 years under CITES control. Each animal produces 200-300 g of fiber per shearing. The vicuña is the finest and rarest fiber in the world, protected since the Inca royal decree prohibiting its slaughter. The INCA Group program guarantees ethical harvesting with the release of every live animal.

World production: Less than 12 tonnes/year. 80% comes from Peru (Quechua and Aymara communities).

Luxury uses: Ultra-fine scarves, shawls, haute couture coats. Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Kiton.

Origin: Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland. Undercoat of the musk ox (Ovibos moschatus), harvested naturally during the spring molt or by combing without stress. 8 times warmer than sheep's wool. Does not shrink, does not pill. The Oomingmak cooperative in Alaska transforms qiviut into handmade knitwear sold worldwide.

World production: Less than 5 tons/year. Production by Inuit and Yupik communities.

Luxury uses: Hats, scarves, hand-knitted gloves. Jacques Cartier, Qiviut & Co.

Origin: Argentina (Patagonia), Chile. Wild camelid, cousin of the llama. Harvested by capture-shearing-release of wild populations. Each animal yields 200-400 g of sorted undercoat. Naturally golden cinnamon fiber, hypoallergenic and thermoregulating.

World production: Less than 10 tons/year. The Guanaco Patagonia program certifies ethical harvesting.

Luxury uses: Scarves, sweaters, coats. Loro Piana (Baby Cashmere Guanaco), Agnona.

Origin: Mongolia, northern China (Inner Mongolia). Undercoat combed from Hircus kids under one year old, during their first molt. Each kid produces only 30-80 g of usable fiber. Represents less than 0.1% of global cashmere production. Certified by the Mongolian Cashmere Association.

World production: Approximately 50-100 tons/year. Demanding manual sorting (separation of guard hairs).

Luxury uses: Sweaters, scarves, blankets. Loro Piana Baby Cashmere, Brunello Cucinelli, Colombo.

Origin: Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan. Naturally chocolate-brown undercoat, combed in spring without harming the animal. Hypoallergenic, thermoregulating, 40% warmer than merino. Almost no pilling. Durable and ecological fiber (low carbon footprint, extensive nomadic herding).

World production: Approximately 500 tons/year of sorted undercoat. Norlha Atelier in Tibet is the benchmark.

Luxury uses: Sweaters, blankets, stoles. Norlha, Tengri, Naadam.

Origin: South Africa (80% of world production), Turkey, USA (Texas). Angora goats under 6 months old. Exceptional luster (the most luminous of all natural fibres), high strength, superb dyeing capacity. Certified by the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS).

World production: Approximately 5,000 tonnes/year of total mohair, of which 15-20% is kid mohair.

Luxury uses: Haute couture, suits, stoles, hair accessories. Chanel, Dior, Valentino.

Origin: China (90% of production), France, Czech Republic, Turkey. Fibre from the angora rabbit (French Giant, English, Satin breeds). Very fine (11-16 μm), 7 times warmer than sheep's wool. PETA controversies (2013, 2019) regarding live plucking in Chinese industrial farms. French farms practice respectful hand shearing.

World production: Approximately 2,500 tonnes/year. 90% China, 5% France, 5% other.

Luxury uses: Sweaters, beanies, gloves. Prefer French angora (ANFA label) or WRA-certified.

Origin: Peru (70%), Bolivia, Ecuador, North America (small farms). The suri (20% of the alpaca herd) produces a smooth, silky, lustrous fibre, as opposed to the crimped fibre of the huacaya. Hypoallergenic (no lanolin), 22 natural colours. Available in baby alpaca (<21 μm), super baby (<19 μm) and royal (<18 μm).

World production: Approximately 5,000 tonnes/year of total alpaca fibre (suri + huacaya), of which 20% is suri.

Luxury uses: Sweaters, scarves, haute couture fabrics. Max Mara, Missoni, Incalpaca.

Origin: North America (USA, Canada). Undercoat naturally collected during the spring moult, without shearing or stress. Warmer than cashmere, does not pill, extremely durable. Natural fawn-brown colour. Bison populations are recovering (from 325 in 1884 to 500,000 today).

World production: Less than 20 tonnes/year of sorted undercoat.

Luxury uses: Scarves, blankets, accessories. United by Blue, The Buffalo Wool Company.

Origin: Mongolia, China (Gobi Desert), Kazakhstan, Iran. Undercoat of the Bactrian camel (two-humped), collected during the spring moult. Natural golden caramel colour, thermoregulating, light and soft. Used for centuries for the coats of Central Asian nomads. Baby camel (undercoat of the young camel) reaches 16-17 μm.

World production: Approximately 4,000-5,000 tonnes/year of raw hair, of which 1,000 tonnes is fine undercoat.

Luxury uses: Coats, jackets, blankets. Max Mara (101801 coat), Zegna, Colombo.

Origin: Mongolia (50%), China (30%), Iran, Afghanistan, Nepal. Undercoat of the Capra hircus goat, combed in spring. Global benchmark for luxury animal fibres. Quality varies considerably depending on origin: outer Mongolian cashmere (14.5-15.5 μm) is the finest, followed by Chinese (15-16 μm) and Iranian (17-19 μm).

World production: Approximately 25,000 tonnes/year of raw cashmere worldwide.

Luxury uses: Sweaters, shawls, suits. Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Johnstons of Elgin, Misciano.