LlamaSoft

THE NEW AUTHENTIC FIBER

One of the finest fibers in the world

If you think Alpaca is already high end, get ready to discover an even most exclusive and top quality material. LlamaSoft is the pride and basis of all of our clothes. It comes from a long history of BONALLA’s effort to create a top quality fiber made out of llama fur. Our team and our clients love LlamaSoft materials due to their unique properties.

Meet your next favorite clothes and discover all about LlamaSoft in this post.

Llamas are the big cousins of Alpacas, part of the camelids family. Approximately 2.6 million llamas live in the andean mountains of Bolivia, making it the country with the largest llama population worldwide. These popular animals are the right hand of the natives in the Andes, helping them carry goods from one place to the other and providing them with their warm wool that helps them survive extreme cold temperatures at more than 5000 meters above the sea level.

Just like their cousins Llamas had to go through a series of adaptations to be able to endure hot and cold temperatures alike and also regulate the moisture in the mountains. Thanks to these adaptations, Llama fur has a unique set of qualities that if processed properly transforms it into one of the most comfortable materials you will ever wear.

pasture with animal and mountains in sunny day in new zealand

LlamaSoft: where bolivian heritage and innovation come together

BONALLA’s has its origins on the plateau of Bolivia. His founder Tito Böhrt saw the potential of llama wool more than 40 years ago. He developed a novel process to dehire the fiber while keeping all the good properties of llama fibers and transform this fiber into one of the most exclusive fibers in the world. After dehiring the llama fiber, it remains a softer fiber that is traded by BONALLA under the patented name of LlamaSoft.

Some of the most innovative and prestigious brands have ever since contacted to use this fabric in their collections because they know that there is nothing better in Llama materials than LlamaSoft.

Clean white wool texture as background, closeup

UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES

LlamaSoft vs Alpaca

There is confusion between Alpacas and Llamas, this is natural since they have similar faces and body shapes, at first sight they only differ in size. However, when it comes to their wool and fibers there are a couple of features that make them different to one another.

From the 2.6 million llamas in Bolivia, about 75-80% have a wide variety of natural colors.

Llama fiber is a truly all round wearable yarn thanks to it’s insulation capacity.

Llama flakes are closer to the tube which makes the fiber look shinier and cleaner.

Because llama fabric hairs are long and strong, you’ll never see a pill in your garments.

Macro closeup of two woman hands grasping unprocessed alpaca fibers

Pilling free

If you ever had to let go of a nice sweater because of small fuzz balls started appearing you can blame that to the material, this is common in wool, cotton and polyester. Pilling occurs when broken clothing fibers on the surface become tangled together.

Luckily the llama fibers avoid that this happens due to its longer fibers and highly resistant threats. We guarantee that your new LlamaSoft sweater will stay like new for decades. So don’t worry about your new favorite BONALLA sweater, it will be with you wherever you go.

Temperature regulation

Llama and Alpaca hair is about the same width, however one of the main differences is the diameter of the whole inside each hair. This space is wider in Llamas, giving their hair an excellent insulation capacity. In practical terms it means that when it is cold outside it is harder that cold gets through as easily, unlike wool that is completely solid it is possible to feel good both in hot and cold temperatures.

When you have an active day and you naturally emit warmth, the same insulation capacity helps you to maintain an adequate temperature.

Natural shining colors

All kinds of animal hair have small flakes on each hair tube. Some types have bigger or smaller flakes and they also differ from separation between the tube and the flake.

Llama flakes are closer to the tube than the flakes of alpaca, this makes their fiber look shinier and cleaner.

When you have an active day and you naturally emit warmth, the same insulation capacity helps you to maintain an adequate temperature.

Natural undyed colors

From the 2.6 million llamas in Bolivia, about 75-80% have a wide variety of natural colors. Whereas around 80% of Alpacas are white furred.

The uniqueness of natural fibers

The fibers used to make a garment can be animal fibers, i.e. from wool obtained by shearing an animal or silk; or vegetable fibers, derived from plant cellulose.

Within animal fibers, 85% of the textile industry is dominated by sheep’s wool. The main supplier of sheep wool is Australia, which produces 25% of the total supply. Other countries that follow in wool production are New Zealand, Argentina and the United States. Despite being the most widespread material, the remaining 15% corresponds to fibers from other animal hair such as llama, alpaca, yak, goat or camel.

To determine the quality of a fiber, it is usual to look at its fineness, which is measured in microns. The finest fibers are the ones with lower microns and are in general, the most coveted and sought after.

Animal fibers have a micronage generally between 10 mnc and 45 mnc. This varies depending on many factors such as the animal’s age, weight, diet or the area of the body from which the fiber is taken.

LlamaSoft

THE NEW AUTHENTIC FIBER

The main difference between llama and alpaca fiber lies in the homogeneity of the fibers. When an alpaca is sheared, the fiber obtained is homogeneous, that is to say, all the fibers have the same thickness. On the other hand, when a llama is cleaved, the fibers obtained are not homogeneous, so that thick fibers are found within the fine fibers. This is a problem when producing pieces from llama hair, since it is necessary to dehair the fiber to obtain a material that is pleasant to the touch.

Within the textile industry, the most popular fibers are the finer fibers. This is because fine fibers, although more delicate, are much more silky and comfortable. An example is Cashmere, which has a very good reputation for its fineness and exclusivity.

Altifibers has always relied on the quality and superior qualities of llama fiber. That is why they have developed a unique technology capable of dehiring llama fiber, separating the thick and fine fiber while maintaining all of its qualities. This process gives birth to LlamaSoft, a fine dehired fiber that is the trademark of Altifibers. Therefore, all BONALLA garments are made from LlamaSoft and have different qualities depending on the fineness of the fiber. BONALLA’s three qualities are: CashLlama, FinoLlama and BabyLlama.

The main difference between the LlamaSoft-derived fibers is in the micronage.

Altifibers has always relied on the quality and superior qualities of llama fiber. That is why they have developed a unique technology capable of dehiring llama fiber, separating the thick and fine fiber while maintaining all of its qualities. This process gives birth to LlamaSoft, a fine dehired fiber that is the trademark of Altifibers. Therefore, all BONALLA garments are made from LlamaSoft and have different qualities depending on the fineness of the fiber. BONALLA’s three qualities are: CashLlama, FinoLlama and BabyLlama.

The main difference between the LlamaSoft-derived fibers is in the micronage.

CashLlama

19.5 MICRON

Is BONALLA’s finest fiber. Its micronage is only 19.5 microns and is comparable to other natural animal-derived fibers such as Cashmere which has between 16-19 microns.

FinoLlama

24-25 MICRONS

Its micronage is 22 microns and is comparable to fibers such as Alpaca.

BabyLlama

22- 23 MICRONS

Its BONALLA’s thickness fiber with 24 microns.

A truly timeless fabric

It’s not difficult to imagine why Llama fibers are one of the finest fibers in the world. Their unique properties and natural colors leave no one indifferent. The wide range of colors that the Alpine llama’s coat possesses avoids the need to dye the fibers, so each piece is unique in its color shade. As no chemicals are needed to treat the fiber, it is not damaged and its qualities remain intact.

Thanks to Altifibers’ patented dehiring process, BONALLA offers unique and silky pieces that never go out of style thanks to their high quality and thoughtful design. Acquiring a BONALLA piece is a safe bet. Given the limited number of llamas that inhabit the Andes, each piece is special and exclusive, a closet essential that will last a lifetime.

Soft as they are, garments knitted from LlamaSoft have qualities superior to those of normal llama. No matter how cold it gets outside, you will always feel comfortable because the garments adapt to your temperature in any season. Although it is very important to pay attention to the care that BONALLA garments need, the fabric will not pill no matter how much time goes by, making the garment a timeless piece that will pass from generation to generation as perfect as the first day.