Vicuña is the fleece of a small wild relative of the llama that lives above 3,500 metres in the Andes. Each animal yields only about 200–250 grams of fibre every two to three years, and the species is protected under CITES. A single vicuña sweater can cost several thousand dollars, and only a handful of houses — Loro Piana foremost among them — work with it in volume.
What makes vicuña luxury quality
- Rarity: annual global production is a few tonnes, versus tens of thousands of tonnes of cashmere.
- Colour: vicuña is usually left undyed in its natural cinnamon shade, as its fibre is sensitive to chemicals.
- Legality: genuine vicuña products carry a CITES-compliant label identifying the origin and shearing programme.
- Handle: the fibre is even finer than the best cashmere (around 12 µm), with a distinctive lightness.
Care
Professional cleaning only; store flat and away from light. See the full care guide.
Houses working in vicuña
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Fedeli
$$$Family-run Monza cashmere house, from hatmaker in 1934 to knitwear with Zegna and Prada as shareholders
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Scotland's only vertically integrated cashmere mill, spinning and knitting its own fibre since 1797
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Kiton
$$$$Vicuña and 14-micron cashmere knitwear from a Neapolitan house that owns its own mill
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Kuna
$$$Baby, royal and suri alpaca and vicuña from Peru's vertically integrated Grupo Inca
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Loro Piana
$$$$Baby cashmere and vicuña knitwear from the world's leading rare-fibre house
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Zegna
$$$$Fully traceable Oasi Cashmere and vicuña knitwear from a vertically integrated Biella wool house
Vicuña: frequently asked questions
Why is vicuña so expensive?
Vicuña is expensive because the animals are wild, protected and produce tiny amounts of fibre — roughly 200–250 g every two to three years — and because the 12–13 micron fibre is the finest of any animal. Community shearing programmes in Peru (the chaccu) limit supply to a few tonnes a year worldwide.
Which brands make the best vicuña knitwear?
Houses in this index specialising in vicuña include Fedeli, Johnstons of Elgin, Kiton, Kuna, Loro Piana and Zegna. Judge any of them on fibre grade, gauge, construction and finishing rather than name alone.