The Softly Story

We have searched the world for the finest collection of products made from alpaca fibre. From the biggest alpaca fibre producing company in the world, Michell of Peru to our own alpaca herd we have collated an exclusive collection. Michell have been processing alpaca fibre for hundreds of years. They use  traditional methods inherited from indigenous Peruvian farmers and mix with cutting edge technology to produce state of the art fabrics and designs.  They put much of their profits back into the communities, supporting families with employment, education and healthcare.

Our own alpaca fleeces are sent to The Border Mill in Scotland, where they are processed into  beautiful yarns and then woven to our own designs.  Any fibre that is not soft enough for products is sent to Penrose Products, who put it into our amazing bedding range, meaning that all the precious fleece is used each year.

Softly Softly HQ is at our farm in Northampton. Our 12-year alpaca breeding programme runs under the Lusi Alpacas name. Having happy, healthy alpacas is foremost and we strive to give them the best care possible. Each morning they are checked over at breakfast time, making sure they are all in good health. They have alpaca specific feed containing all the nutrients and vitamins they require. Extra vitamins are given through the winter when the sun light is weaker.

Bio security is crucial to prevent spread of disease, so secure fencing, isolation areas and veterinary health checks part of everyday life. Healthy alpacas produce healthy babies; of which we have had 54 so far! And also gives us the amazing fibre we use in our products. Alpacas are sheared once a year in the spring. The animals are handled with the utmost care and no harm comes to them. The process is swift and efficient and ensures that the alpaca is comfortable in the summer months. The fleece has regrown by the time the colder weather arrives.

On occasion you might come across fur from alpacas, alpaca fur is sourced from weaker and younger alpacas that have died from natural causes, no alpaca is killed for its fur. They roam freely in the high Andes where temperatures can fall to -15c. It is not financially viable to kill baby alpaca for their fur, as this would be far less valuable than a lifetime of annual shorn fleeces and yearly offspring from an alpaca that can live for 20 years. Alpaca fur is the most ethical luxury fibre in the world.

Alpacas have been part of the lives of the indigenous South American people for thousands of years, their heritage and history is not only fascinating but is a way of life that we all strive to support.