FEATURING ONE OF ITS EXCELLENCES: VICUÑA
Loro Piana is pleased to announce a creative collaboration with Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis, a columnist, writer and author for international art and fashion magazines. The talent explored the uniqueness of Vicuña, one of Loro Piana’s finest materials, and was invited to create her very own looks through her individual style, relying on the brand’s creative briefing.
Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis has been shot by Swiss photographer Lukas Wassmann at the historic Chesa Plantain Samedann and at the Waldhaus in Sils Maria, in the beautiful scenario of the historic Engadin architecture.
The images and videos feature the new ultralight Vicuña sweaters in soft pastel colours, the latest innovation by Loro Piana, and the Vicuña exquisite product offer for the collection.
The new precious sweaters in pastel colours are made using the fleece obtained from the vicuña’s chest, which is much lighter in colour: a uniqueness as only a few grams of it can be harvested at a time. Exclusive pieces, since the natural colour of the fiber lots varies slightly from time to time. Consequently, even the pastel shades may slightly differ, creating the peculiarity of each garment. These colours are very delicate and carefully dosed so as not to ruin the fiber. The worsted yarn also allows for extreme fineness and a smooth and silky surface. The Pastel Vicuña is a representation of Loro Piana’s constant research of the noblest materials and the most sophisticated processing techniques, giving life to garments in colours and volumes that make up the essence of the brand.
In order to make Vicuña more tangible for customers, Loro Piana has created dedicated certificates which summarize in few highly significant figures the full traceability of these rarest products. Each single product made of this precious fiber is delivered with its own unique certificate proving its origin and documenting the full journey of the product from its origin in South America to the final customers.
“What fascinates me is the concept of ‘raw to rare’. Realizing that the Vicuña is not just a luxury product but that Loro Piana’s concern is the protection of these rare creatures. By operating the full chain of production, they can protect the animals while creating the finest quality, which to me is what real luxury and uniqueness should be about” states Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis.
The Vicuña collection is available in all the Loro Piana flagship stores and on Loropiana.com.
For more information contact:
Hiba Hassanieh
E-mail: hiba@ruthbradley.ae
Ph: +971 55 835 6765
Ruth Bradley
E-mail: ruth@ruthbradley.ae
Ph: +971 50 456 8636
Loro Piana operates in the high-end luxury goods sector and has made uncompromising quality its mission. Offering the most discerning clients clothing and accessories which have been made in Italy from the finest raw materials in the world, through an international network of direct sales points, the loropiana.com website and a selection of exclusive multi-brand retailers. Six generations of experience in the textile industry have converted Loro Piana into masters in the creation of high-end fabrics and fibres, placing them in the position of market leaders. Their vertical integration is the best guarantee of access to research, the most select raw materials and control over processes that combine the most modern technology with Italian craft and sartorial tradition.
The Vicuña
For the ancient Inca population, the “fibre of the gods” was intended purely for kings. Impalpable as a cloud yet extremely warm, no one else could possess it due to its very rare and soft fibres. This is how the story of vicuña begins, in a time long ago and filled with legend, when the vicuñas with their large and mysterious eyes grazed freely on the highlands of the Andes.
Beautiful and precious, they survive thanks to the regulations that protect them from a wild hunting that risked to exterminate them permanently. Loro Piana actively partnered with the Peruvian government and the Andean communities and played a crucial role in saving the vicuñas from extinction. Every two years, no more than 250 grams of the finest raw fibre in the world, averaging just 12-13 microns in diameter, are obtained from each animal. To survive the harsh winters and scorching summers, the vicuñas have in fact developed an under fleece with a characteristically golden hue composed of extremely thin, short and very dense fibres, which perform an extraordinary thermoregulating function. The shearing takes place in compliance with ancient rituals that maintain the essence of a vibrant celebration, steeped in years of tradition. During the Chaccu, the vicuñas are looked after by the campesinos, who take care of collecting the fibre with extreme delicacy before releasing them again back into the wild.
Since the 1950s, this ancient custom had fascinated Franco Loro Piana. The safeguarding of all animals reflects, just as it does today, a company vision committed to environmental sustainability throughout all stages of processing, starting from sourcing of the raw materials. The nephew of the founder of the house knew and appreciated the fine hair of these tenacious camelids, and in the wake of a continuous search for the authentic quality of noble fibres, he set the goal of transforming the “fibre of the gods” into products entirely Made in Italy, thus contributing to the conservation of this species.
In 1994, Loro Piana, head of a consortium, signed an agreement with the Peruvian government and the Andean communities, granting the exclusive rights to purchase, process and distribute the fibre obtained only from vicuñas sheared whilst alive. Their commitment was renewed in 2008, with the creation of the first private nature reserve in Peru, named after Franco Loro Piana.
In 2018 the Proyecto Acqua (Water Project) was born, which aims at safeguarding the habitat of the vicuñas through the conservation of natural water reserves with the help of local communities.
“This is a pilot project in the area of Arequipa, in southern Peru, where we already have good relations with the local communities that provide us with the precious vicuña fleece”, said Fabio d’Angelantonio, Loro Piana’s CEO. “The project has a double objective: to increase water availability in the area and to support local communities by increasing their livelihoods. In particular, for the Water Project, we involved a local entrepreneur who helped us to identify the most suitable places for the basins and gave valuable indications for the feasibility of the project”. In 2018, the first basin for rainwater collection was created, equipped with a waterproof membrane and irrigation canals to channel water to the surrounding areas.
The relationship with the territory and its inhabitants continues to follow the path of responsible sourcing. As a result of the fight against poaching and the involvement of the native populations, to whom the use and the profits of the fleece are reserved, today the vicuñas are no longer at risk of extinction. Their cherished fleece can be collected with respect towards the animals who are then left to roam free after each shearing.
For the Andean population the vicuñas were legendary animals and gifts, protected by the Sun God and by Mother Earth. For the campesinos of today they are the gift received by a wild and free species that prudent and wise men have learned to protect. Transforming the “fibre of the gods” into precious and refined fabrics, which ennoble its extraordinary qualities, essentially has this significance: safeguarding an inestimable natural heritage that Loro Piana has contributed to enhance in constant respect of traditions and local communities.