Fashion

Entries in alpaca (2)

Saturday
Feb152014

Hot Ideas For Warming Your Hands This Winter With Gloves Made Of Organic and Natural Fibers

With one of the coldest and snowiest winters in decades, our winter gloves are going through a lot of wear, and I’ve found a lot of companies in the search for new gloves that are either made of natural or organic fibers, and are really warm and durable.

I found several boutiques – the Wild West Alpaca Ranch Store, Awaz Handcrafts, and Patricia Avenue – all specializing in handmade, natural fiber knit products.

Alpaca Driving Gloves with Leather Palms.

At all the outlets, the glove styles include those with and without fingers, as well as mittens.

The looks range from really rugged to highly elegant. Besides gloves, all of the outlets also have great natural and organic clothes and other apparel, as well as household items, but here we’re just going to look the gloves.

Wild West Alpaca Ranch Store

The Wild West Alpaca Ranch Store is a great place to find gloves and other apparel made of natural alpaca fiber, which include: hats, scarves, wraps, purses, and socks.

Alpaca Driving Gloves with Leather Palms.

The store is an outlet of the Alpaca Breeders of Arizona (ABA), which is a cooperative group of alpaca owners and breeders in state that collaborate to sell alpaca made products and promote awareness about the sustainability and health benefits of alpaca materials. All of the products are made in the United States.

There’s a lot to know about alpaca. The ABA explains some of the benefits of alpaca fibers, including that they are hypoallergenic, anti-microbial, and naturally odor resistant.

Also, alpaca doesn’t contain Lanolin oil, which many people are allergic to. Alpaca is also soft, naturally water-repellent, and non-itchy, unlike wool.

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Friday
Nov152013

Ideas For Eco-Conscious Shoppers Looking For Winter Coats From Organic and Natural Fibers

Winter is fast approaching and if you still haven’t gotten this year’s winter coat, and are looking for some great eco-conscious ideas made of organic and natural fibers, then I found a lot of great ideas that are worth looking at – from the most budget-friendly to the really pricy.

I came across three great online outlets – Element EcoWear, FaeriesDance, and Indigenous Designs – with a good variety of coat styles made from materials including organic cotton, hemp, alpaca, and merino wool.

Element EcoWear

Eternal Trenchcoat. Photo by Element EcoWear.

Element EcoWear is the easiest on the budget, with outerwear around the $100 range, and all made with natural and organic materials that the company assures are fair trade manufactured.

One of my favorite coats from Element EcoWear is the Eternal Trenchcoat which is made from 100 percent organic cotton. It comes in black and a dark brown called ‘bark.’ The coat’s features including a lining made of medium-weight cotton canvas, button cuffs, a back vent, side seam pockets, and a removable belt.

The supplier information says the “organic cotton is grown in a women-owned organic farm cooperative in China,” and that the coats are made in a “joint venture partnership with international organic farms, mills, and factories [that] require conformity to stringent fair labor standards, audited by a full-time onsite employee.”

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