In the mythology of the ancient Inca cultures, the vicuña was considered a pure gift from the gods. Its wool was so rare and precious that it was exclusively reserved for the royal family. Thus begins the story of this extraordinary natural fiber in a long-past and legendary time, when the graceful animals grazed freely and untouched on the vast plateaus of the Peruvian Andes. To this day, nothing has changed regarding this natural freedom. The vicuña, the smallest representative of the camel family, lives completely wild and untamed at altitudes of over four thousand meters.

Since vicuñas are pure wild animals, they cannot be bred or kept in herds. To obtain their wool, Andean communities resort to a centuries-old, gentle tradition: the so-called Chaccu. In this strictly government-supervised ritual, which only takes place every two to three years, villagers form wide chains to gently round up the animals. After a careful shearing, which yields only a few grams of the valuable fiber per animal, the vicuñas are released unharmed into their natural environment. This respectful approach ensures the survival of the species and makes vicuña wool the most exclusive and rarest textile fiber in the world.