Alpaca fiber is soft with amazing insulating qualities, but also allows for breathability. Alpaca is known for its strength, durability, and hypoallergenic qualities, and does not pill like other fibers. It is an annually renewable resource, and emiLime's alpaca roam free in the Altiplano of Peru until it is time for their yearly shearing. From the small farms that raise alpaca, the shorn fleece is delivered to Arequipa, where it is cleaned and sorted, made into yarn, and dyed. This coveted fiber has been used in knitting for thousands of years in Peru. emiLime loves that it is our staple raw material!  

Emilime's sheep’s wool has a similar life cycle to alpaca. Sheep’s wool is flexible, durable, and renewable, and Emilime's wool is especially soft and high quality.  

Used to make some of Emilime's buttons, the tagua seed comes from the ivory palm grown in Ecuador. Tagua is known for its durability and scratch-resistance, and is used as a substitute for ivory. The seeds grow in huge clusters and are collected off the ground. After the tagua seeds are delivered to the button factory, they are then cut by machines. The cut buttons are colored with natural dyes, and the Emilime logo is burned in with a laser. Emilime visited our suppliers and got to see the entire process of Emilime buttons being made. We are huge fans of tagua and expect to use it a lot more in upcoming designs. 

The bull horn used by Emilime, also known as cacho de toro, is polished bull horn. It is processed all over Peru and used by artisans to make jewelry, belt buckles, and other adornments. The bull is not killed for its horn, rather, the horn is bought by artisans after the bull is killed for other purposes. The cacho de toro can be found in Emilime's holiday collection pieces.