WOOL ORIGIN
Each time you buy one of our jackets you are helping many Ecuadorean families put food on the table. The Alpaca wool is harvested from dozens of small family-owned farming operations. These farmers are part of a cooperative that takes place in a remote and mountainous village in Ecuador. The villagers have pooled resources to create a wool processing plant that is joint-owned by the people of the village and the population of the surrounding countryside. The wool is cleaned, carded, and spun into a thread that is specially twisted for extra durability.
Knitting and Finishing
The wool takes another journey to a town several hours away. In this area, the wool is distributed among women who take allotted amounts and knit the jackets from the comfort of their own homes. Then, the jackets are brought to a knitting station where several sewers who have been selected for their fine craftmanship will sew in the liners, zippers, and added touches. Each works on their own schedule based on their own personal demands and situations. Those that have their own sewing machines may work from home as well if they so desire.