The art of fur craft.
We introduce Jesus and his colleagues, who show us some of the many steps involved in crafting their alpaca fur products*.
Preparation of materials
After tanning and cleaning, the hides must be stretched to soften them and achieve a smooth working surface.
Pattern creation
Jesus has mastered the art of creating his own patterns. He proudly says that his designs are one-of-a-kind!
Tracing and cutting
Using the patterns, all the pieces that make up the products are traced onto the fur and then numbered.
The arrangement of each piece is optimized to make the most of the material. Additionally, most of the leftover scraps are sewn together to form new pieces.
With a sharp knife, the pieces are then cut out.
Assembly and sewing
The fur pieces are sewn together by machine.
This work requires a great deal of manual dexterity, as the shapes are rarely straight, and many of the pieces are very small.
When looking at the finished product, it’s hard to imagine how many pieces it contains! For example, teddy bears require up to 28 pieces, while slippers are made up of 11 pieces.
Turning
The products are sewn inside out, with the leather side facing outward. Almost the entire product is sewn, leaving only a small opening to allow it to be turned to the fur side. This turning process is quite time-consuming. The smaller the product, the more tedious it becomes. This task is done by hand but often requires the use of pliers.
Finishing steps
The finishing process involves multiple steps and accounts for almost half of the total work time.
The plush toys must be stuffed (with polyester; only new material is used).
The opening used for turning the product must be hand-sewn shut.
The vast majority of products also require a visit to the “hairdresser”! With sharp scissors, our master furriers perform a finishing trim on the products to give them a neat and polished appearance.
A big thank you to our talented artisans!
*Animal-friendly Fur
No animal was killed for the purpose of obtaining its fur.
The alpacas of Peru are raised in the wild in the Andes mountains. They are primarily raised for their beautiful fiber, which is sheared once a year. Alpaca fiber is renewable and is used to make warm, eco-friendly knitwear and textiles.
Secondly, the animals are used for human meat consumption. Alpaca is a staple food for communities that practice camelid farming. In fact, most alpaca farmers live in very high-altitude regions where the land is infertile for crop cultivation. The only food source they can produce is the meat from their herds. Additionally, 40 to 60% of baby alpacas naturally die due to the extremely harsh climatic conditions in the Andes. The alpaca meat is consumed, and the fur is used for crafting. The use of alpaca fur, in essence, is the recovery of a by-product.
