Guanaco Fibre
Zoological Information
- Lama guanicoe is commonly known as Guanaco.
- It belongs to the family Camelidae.
- Guanacos are artiodactyls of medium to large size, characterised by long necks and feet with two toes.
- The lifespan of guanacos is 20-25 years.
- In pre-Columbian cultures, guanacos were considered a source of meat and fibre.
Habitat and fibre production
- Guanacos are semi-captive animals from the South America.
- In the early 1530s, around 30-35 million guanacos were recorded residing on the South American continent.
- Following that time frame, there was a significant decline in the guanaco population due to a gradual rise in hunting for both their meat and fleece.
- The guanaco was included in the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna). Consequently, following this designation, guanaco fibre was acquired by capturing them passively during the shearing season and subsequently releasing them.
- These wild animals live in dry, semi-dry, mountainous regions of the South American continent, such as Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina.
- The annual production of guanaco hair fibres is around 1.5-2 tons and the yield per animal is up to 0.7-1 kg.
- It has two layers of coat known as guard hair and inner coat.
- The guard hairs are coarser and thick, and the inner hair fibres are fine and soft.
Table 1. Physical properties and chemical composition of guanaco hair fibres
Physical properties
Parameter
Value
Length of fibre(mm)
30-60
Diameter of fibre (µm)
14-16
Chemical composition
Constituents
Keratin
Fibre
Fat
Suint, fat
Table 2: Amino Acid composition of guanaco hair fibres[2].
Amino Acid
Composition (mol%)
Cysteic acid
0.5
Aspartic Acid
7.2
Threonine
6.5
Serine
11.1
Glutamic Acid
13.7
Proline
7.9
Glycine
8.1
Alanine
5.5
Cystine
6.0
Valine
5.8
Methionine
0.5
Isoleucine
3.0
Leucine
7.2
Tyrosine
2.9
Phenylalanine
3.1
Lysine
2.5
Histidine
0.8
Arginine
7.7
Features
- The physical structure of the guanaco hair fibres makes it look soft and lustrous giving it a high visual appeal.
- Its colour varies slightly, spanning from light brown to dark cinnamon and obtaining fibres of a faint grey to white from the neck to the stomach area.
- The fleece is incredibly soft and smooth, containing 10-20% beard hairs and 50% medullated fibres, which means they have a central hollow or pithy core.
- It has fewer scales than sheep’s wool.
- It is much softer, less scratchy, and easy to handle.
- It is three times warmer than wool and is finer than cashmere.
- It does not shrink during washing or processing.
- After the undercoat is spun, the high-quality fibre surpasses alpaca and ranks just below pure vicuna fibre in terms of quality.
Typical uses
- Exquisite textiles crafted from the supple fibres of guanaco are provided to exclusive tailoring firms, where they are transformed into suits with prices reaching as high as US$10,000.
- While not as commonly employed in knitwear, a blend of 20% guanaco hair with merino wool is utilized to craft stylish sweaters and other knitted attire.
- Fine-count worsted yarns in a variety of blends with merino and cashmere are imported to different businesses in London, Milan, and Tokyo.
- Woollen-spun guanaco yarns find application in crafting suiting and overcoating fabrics tailored for high-end fashion brands.
- 100% guanaco is exclusively used for the making of accessories.
- Dormeuli’s exquisite Guanashina fabric is renowned as one of the world’s most luxurious materials. This fabric is crafted by combining three rare and precious natural animal —Kid Pashmina, Guanaco, and Baby Cashmere—to achieve a perfect balance of opulence, comfort, and ease of care, resulting in a high-end aesthetic.
