About Suri Alpacas
Suri Alpaca Information, Suri Alpaca Fibers - Wild Rose Suri Ranch
Suri in full fleece with drapey locks
Huacaya alpacas
Llama - cousin to the alpaca
Vicuna mom and her new cria
Suri - closest animal fiber to silk
What is a Suri?
Suris are a breed of alpaca, and is a domesticated member of the South
American camelid family that include llamas, guanacos and vicunas. The
camelid family also includes the Bactrian (2-humped) and Dromedary
(1-humped) camels. Alpacas are native to South America with about 4.5
million alpacas in the Andean highlands, with 4.0 million of them
located mostly in Peru, and the balance located also in Chile and
Bolivia. Alpaca are renowned for their luxury fiber which has superior
handle (luxurious and pleasing feel), softness and luster.
Of the two types of alpaca—the huacaya and the suri—the huacaya is the
more numerous of the two and has a fleece similar in characteristics to
the merino breed of sheep, with a soft, fluffy teddy bear appearance of
fiber that stands out from the body like a thick carpet and defined
crimp (zigzag nature of the individual fibers). The suri, however,
comprising only 10% of the world’s alpacas, has an elegantly draped
slick, shiny fleece that hangs down from its body in long twisted
strings, or locks. Suri fiber is prized for its unique luster and
superb soft, slick of handle. It is used primarily for producing fine
textiles and elegant knitwear requiring a soft, flowing, and drapey
appearance. It is highly sought after by fashion houses because of it
rarity, bringing a premium price in the fiber market. Since the first
major import into the US in 1984, the total number of huacaya and suri
alpacas here has increased to more than 150,000. Of these, the US suri
herd comprises only 26,500 animals. Alpacas come in a range of 22
natural colors, the most of any fiber animal and including white,
various shades of fawn and brown, grey, black, and combination patterns
like pinto and appaloosa.
The Inca Story
The history of alpacas in South America
Alpaca are believed to have been created through selective breeding of
the wild vicuna about 6000 years ago, by the Andean people in South
America. They live in the high altitudes of the treeless altiplano,
about 14,000 feet or 4200 m above sea level. The Incas prized the cloth
made from alpaca so highly that it was used as a form of currency and
only royalty were permitted to wear cloth made from suri fiber. The
alpaca and llama were also important as a source of food and as pack
animals. The Incas developed a superior animal which had a finer and
more even fleece than that seen in alpacas today. These genetics were
largely lost as a result of the Spanish invasion in the 1500s, when up
to 90% of alpaca were killed to make way for European livestock, which
the Spanish valued more highly. The suri alpaca, although it exhibits
genetic dominance over the huacaya type, is very rare in South America.
It is thought that as the alpacas and their herders were forced higher
into the Andean mountains by the conquistadors, the openness of their
fleece or defined part along the back line made them more susceptible to
the extreme conditions found at such high altitudes. The number of suri
in Peru continues to decline, hence the importance of new alpaca
breeding nations like the United States, Australia, Canada, and New
Zealand.
Suris Are Rare!
Suri population censuses quoted from various authorities run across the
board from ONLY 1% to 4% of the alpaca populations. World renowned
Veterinarian and Peruvian alpaca breeder, Dr. Julio Sumar, has been
extensively involved with alpacas and feels strongly that the suri
population in Peru is around 1%. If you pick, just to be safe, the high
of 4% the suri population worldwide would be approximately 120,000. This
is about half that of the vicuña population (an endangered species) of
250,000. Estimates of the number of colored suris are 5% of the total
world suri population which leaves approximately 6,000 colored suris
world wide. This is a staggeringly small number. This scarcity becomes
reality when searching for colored suris in Peru and Bolivia, for one
has to comb hundreds of square miles of specific locations to find a few
colored suris.
September 1999 Alpaca Market Report by International Alpaca Association –
Don Julio Barreda of the noted Accoyo Estancia in Peru and creator of
the Accoyo bloodline noted the slow disappearance of suris during the
past thirty years and challenges all groups with interest to form a
program of recovery and preservation for the suri alpaca. As quoted by
Don Julio Barreda, ‘Nevertheless, it depends mainly on us, the breeders
to bring about the recovery of this beautiful animal that once appeared
to have fallen from the sky like hail as a gift to the Ccollas, Quechuas
and Aymaras and today needs to be shared with the whole world’.
Did You Know . . .
- There are approximately 4.5 million alpaca worldwide and 150,000 in the US
- Of all alpacas, only 120,000 are suris, 26,500 of which are in the US
- Prices for female pure suris generally range from $10,000 to $30,000
- Raw Suri fleece sells for between $30 and $80 a lb, with the
highest premium paid for the for prime or blanket fleece of the
alpaca's 1st shearing (known as cria, tui, or baby alpaca fleece)
- The average suri produces 4-8 lbs. of usable fleece a year
- Almost all of the shorn suri fleece can be used to make products when sorted into the different grade - very little waste!
The Fiber of the Incan Gods
Suri has a superior handle than other fibers because the scales along
the shaft of the fiber have a longer and tighter profile, providing a
very smooth surface. Suri also has very little medullation (coarse,
hollow fibers which cause prickling and do not process or dye as well as
normal fibers). On the world market, the fiber of suri alpacas is
coveted for its luster and softness by the high fashion textile industry
and today commands a price double that for huacaya. Suri has the
softness of cashmere, luster of silk, warmth and featherweight of
goose down and durability of wool. Suri fiber blends well with wool and
other fine fiber, including silk, and yarn can be knit, crocheted or
woven. Suri fiber is used for:
- High fashion fabric for men’s and women’s designer clothing
- Luxury apparel, coats, sweaters and unique decorator items
- Specialty interior fabrics and textiles.
Worldwide, suri is most commonly made up into overcoats which are
brushed to bring out its natural luster. In Australia, some enterprising
and highly skilled breeders in Queensland are hand spinning suri fleece
to produce gossamer-thin thread for lacework shawls and even wedding
dresses. When the fashion trade demands suri, the orders are hard to
fill and the price increases rapidly.
The majority is sold to Italy, with smaller markets being US, Europe
and Japan. Research data has shown that suri fleece may have a higher
density and yield than that of huacaya. In processing, the yield of
suri fiber is 90% compared to 43-76% for sheep’s wool.
Special Properties of Suri Fiber
- 30-35 micron suri fiber can have as soft a handle as 16.5 micron
cashmere. As a comparison, human hair ranges between 40-120 microns.
(1 micron= 1 millionth of a meter!) For example, a sheet of standard
copy paper is 100 micron.
- Soft handle is due to the flat thin scales on the fiber surface
which gives off a brilliant luster. The flat, thin scales eliminate
"Prickle factor" commonly felt in wool items.
- The longer fibers of the Suri in clothing items prevent pilling (which occurs in cashmere, camel, and vicuna clothing).
- Suri has an unusually high tensile strength and in particular, provides strength as the "warp" in woven goods.
- Suri fiber is most similar to kid mohair in terms slickness
which can cause "slip" during processing. This can be overcome by adding
humidity to the fiber processing area.
- Suri fiber is best used in the worsted process as it displays it’s luster well. As a napped fabric, it is one of the softest
- and most luxurious.
Alpaca Facts
Peru produces 90% of the world’s alpaca fiber
Textile fibers (mohair, cashmere, angora, camel, yak and alpaca) account for 2.6% of world wool production
‘Wool’ represents 4% of the world textile market (in 1992 alpaca output
was 4000 ton compared with 1,851,000 ton for sheep’s wool)
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