Shenzhi Fiber: Loro Piana Cooperates With Argentina To Promote The International Sales Of "Alpaca" Wool Fiber

Italian luxury brand Loro under LVMH Group Piana announced that it had signed an agreement with the provincial government of Catamarca, Argentina, to promote the international sales of vicu ? a wool fiber produced in the province.

Headquartered in Milan, Loro Piana focuses on the production of knitted clothing and shoes, and is famous for its excellent fabrics such as cashmere, flax, ultra-fine merino wool and alpaca.

The alpaca involved in this cooperation lives in the Andes Mountains with an altitude of more than 4000 meters, and has similar species and genus relationships with camels, alpacas, llamas and other species. In order to spend the local cold winter and hot summer, the alpaca has evolved a unique undercoat fiber, which is golden, composed of extremely thin, short and dense fibers, with an average diameter of only 12.5 microns, and has excellent thermoregulation function. The alpaca hair was called "the fiber of God" by the ancient Incas, and was specially used by the emperor. These fibers are rare and soft, "as invisible as clouds", with high warmth retention.

According to local media El Ancosti, this cooperation also allows a group of Argentine manufacturers to visit Loro Piana in Italy And observe the industrial production process of the brand.

The signing ceremony was held in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Damien Bertrand, general manager of Loro Piana, and Pier Luigi Loro, vice president Piana and Ra ú l Jalil, Governor of Katamaka Province, attended the meeting. Loro Piana's two executives also went to Katamaka Province to meet with local small manufacturers.

This is not the government of Katamaka and Loro Piana The first agreement signed by the brand. In 2024, the provincial government of Katamaka began to implement measures to allow alpaca fiber producers located in remote areas to directly sell their products without relying on intermediaries. These initiatives aim to ensure fair prices while protecting biodiversity.

The provincial government of Katamaka also stressed that through direct procurement of alpaca fiber, Loro Piana It not only helps to increase the income of local producers, but also promotes them to adopt more environmentally friendly and sustainable production methods, so as to achieve the goal of ecological protection and sustainable development. At the same time, this cooperation also helps to protect the alpaca, a local symbolic species.

　　Loro Piana The protection of alpaca has a long history and is known as the "international model of endangered species protection". In the 20th century, poachers hunted alpacas for valuable wool fibers, leading to the extinction of alpaca population. Aware of the seriousness of the crisis, as early as 1994, Loro Piana An authorization agreement was signed with the Peruvian government and Andean related associations to allow brands to exclusively purchase, process and distribute wool fibers only cut from live alpacas in the whole supply chain. These fibers comply with the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In 2008, Loro Piana reiterated its commitment and established the first private nature reserve in Peru His father).

In addition, the rising temperature has led to the crisis of water shortage and drought in the Andean highlands, which has also reduced the pasture for alpacas, threatening the health and survival of species and forcing them to migrate unnaturally. In order to deal with this situation, Loro Piana In 2018, the "Water Project" was launched in Arequipa, Peru. The project aims to increase water supply in this area and support local communities by increasing their income. To this end, the brand has built several basins to collect rainwater, and equipped with waterproof membranes and irrigation canals to guide water to the surrounding areas.