“Sustainability and alpaca are synonyms,” says Director of Trade Commission of Peru in New York

Peru is a neglected treasure trove of
sustainable options for the fashion industry. So believes Conrado Falco, Director of OCEX, the Trade
Commission of Peru in New York. In organizing last month’s Perú Moda, he told FashionUnited, his aim was not only to return Peru to pre-recession glory days when its export amounted to 2 billion dollars, but to increase it to 3 billion. And while previously Pima cotton was the big draw, Falco now hopes that 1 billion of that profit wil
l come from alpaca.

“Alpaca is a special animal that doesn’t leave a footprint on the
terrain where it lives,” says Falco. “Environmentally friendly, it walks
slowly, as if it has Nike shoes on its feet. Alpaca doesn’t destroy the
land, it eats only the tops of plants so the roots remain and grow.
Sustainability and alpaca are synonyms.”

Alpaca most ethical of animal fibers?

In a period when animal fiber is losing popularity––H&M dropped
cashmere, Zara mohair, 300+ brands refused to work with Angora––Falco cites
the respect with which Peruvian farmers treat their animals, and believes
that while some criticism is ethical and intelligent, some he considers
disproportionate. “Alpaca of all the animals has the least criticism,” he
says. “It is underused and should be fostered. All synthetics from oil have
their problems. We are proud of our alpaca farmers. You can visit the
manufacturing facilities, the alpaca farms, view the certifications.”

Peru’s diversity of landscape and climate provide both challenges and opportunity for its people.
Low-lying coastal cities offer a cosmopolitan lifestyle and industry, but in its cities which lie sometimes
4000 meters above sea level, people struggle with that most essential matter, breathing. The Andes mountains
cover more than 50 percent of the country and are where the alpaca lives. “Working in textiles from alpaca
fiber is one of the few activities the people who live there have to prosper,” says Falco. “The business of
alpaca grants a lot of Peruvians employment, an opportunity to develop and flourish.”

Peru’s tradition of female textile workers

Anyone who has visited Andean villages, or travelled within the Sacred
Valley which contains top tourist attraction Machu Picchu, cannot not fail
to notice that all the textile workers, those whose wares are displayed on
heaped stalls at the side of mountainous roads, are female. Lively
out-of-the-way markets draw visitors mesmerized as local women unload their
bulky cargo of cushions, throws, hats, socks, bags from the knotted
blankets they use to transport them over hilly miles. They set up shop and
then continue to weave their textiles with nimble fingers, needles, other
tools and even their toes. The colorful crafts, authenticity of experience,
and opportunity to engage, barter, and joke with the artisans themselves
make for memorable photo ops and stories to carry home. But we know the
fashion industry has a nasty habit of exploiting artisans, especially
female ones often dependent on a patriarchal system which doesn’t value
them for the work they do. One can’t help wondering if Peru will fall prey
to these types of practices.

But Falco says Peru has made advances in “integrating women into the
profitable activity of textiles,” and refers to Art Atlas, a fast-growing
company showing at Perù Moda, as an interesting model. “It was started by a
women who used to be one of the workers in the big factories, now she has
her own business and brand, with 20 percent annual growth, and has become a
channel to connect the Peruvian artisan with high-end fashion, opening
stores at home and in neighboring countries.” Falco adds that it is common
for overseas visitors passionate about helping Peru to suggest creating
NGOs. “I have nothing against NGOs but why not make a business instead
which is more sustainable for the Peruvian makers?” He tells another story
of a tourist who returned to Kansas from a visit to Peru with a suitcase
full of sweaters for family and friends 40 years ago, and ended up starting
a business. Now she owns 8 stores around the world and has 35 Peruvian
suppliers. “If you are an artisan, good with your hands, you can’t always
be good with marketing too,” sys Falco, “but teamwork and organization is
the way forward. I have very high hopes that everyone can participate in
the wealth of Peru. If you work with the people, everyone is happy.”

Peru, a manufacturing alternative in trade war times?

Current trade tariffs between China and the US can only benefit Peru’s
plans for growth, but, says Falco, “We don’t have any desire for trade wars
because we are competitive, serious, and ready to work for the long run.
China attracted too much investment and the rest of the world suffered. We
believe in equilibrium. Companies started in Peru, grew, and when they
became very big, moved to China, so all our investment and attention to
those clients was in vain.”

Now the reverse is occurring. Companies are contacting Falco because
they want to get out of China and switch to Peru. “It’s a risk to be in
only one country,” he cautions, “but people need to get responsible and say
they won’t buy the cheap low-quality item but choose the sustainable option
and that is made in Peru.”

As the fashion industry tours the world on its relentless quest to spot
the next sourcing hub it invariably leaves destruction and pollution in its
wake. But Falco is optimistic about the sustainability of Peruvian
manufacture, and is encouraged by government investment in textiles as well
as innovations in fiber recycling, plastic, of course, but also alpaca
which has a durability that makes it perfect for multiple reincarnations.
Incidentally the other major industry of the Andes is mining, perhaps the
most globally criticized industry of all.

“Peru is learning just like the rest of the world. But we have a long
history of living within the environment we have been gifted, and
respecting it,” says Falco. “Whatever you want someone is already doing it
in Peru. And if clients ask for new things, that only helps us develop the
next steps.” He is keen to emphasize how alpaca production has changed in
the past 20 years, how the touch and color has been embraced by the global
luxury market. “Our country’s efforts have turned alpaca into something
exciting. Nowadays from Loro Piana to Bergdorf Goodman, you find alpaca,
but its presence is not yet recognized by the end consumer.”

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To those consumers he recommends looking beyond the glossy designer tag
or prestigious Made in Italy label, and most likely they’ll spot the
discreet text advising that the product they are holding was made using
alpaca sourced from Peru.

Fashion editor Jackie Mallon is also an educator and author of Silk
for the Feed Dogs, a novel set in the international fashion
industry.

To learn more about Perú Moda

Photos FashionUnited.