Matsuuchi Woolen Fabric Co., Ltd. website

Vicuna is a wild South American camelid native to Peru. They usually live at high altitudes of 3,000 to 4,000m. They have small heads, long necks, and short hair all over the body. Since Vicunas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, they can only be shaved every five years. Their wool is very popular due to its unique glossy color and fine texture. Only about two to three tons of Vicuna wool is produced per year.

Vicuna

A Guanaco is a rare camelid mainly native to Argentina in South America. They are about 4 feet tall with a very skinny appearance. Guanaco are valuable similar to Vicuna. It's assumed that they produce about 30 tons of wool a year. Their wool is soft and warm with very gentle texture.

Guanako

Cashmere is a fiber obtained from cashmere goats and other types of goats. They normally live on the plateau of the Himalayas in Tibet. The yearly production of Cashmere per goat is 150 to 250 grams, due to it being one of the most high-quality materials. Cashmere is loved all over the world due to it being made from specifically selected soft inner hair. The colors of the cashmere include gray, brown, and mostly white. The characteristics of the Cashmere are its shiny texture, high moisture retention and silk-like absorption.

Cashmere

It is said that the silk was spun by silkworms and used around 4000 BCE. It is written in old Chinese myths and classics that the silk was cultivated as well as its usage. Because of its beauty and smooth texture, silk fabric is very valuable and has attracted people from ancient times until today. Silk is literally the premium of all the fiber. It can be classified into two types: “wild silkworm” and “domesticated silkworm”. "The ones that live in-house are called “Okaikosan” (Dear silkworm) or “domesticated silkworm”. The ones that live in fields are called “wild silkworm”. " The thickness of the "silkworm" thread is about half that of a "wild silkworm". It is assumed that it was brewed as a Chinese herbal medicine long ago.

Alpaca live in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes in South America. We are closely connected with them from ancient times. The wool can be sheared for 10 to 12 years. The fiber is three times stronger than lamb’s wool and twice as mohair. As for the features, the fiber is very soft and has excellent moisture retention. Tracing back to the beginning of ancient Peruvian civilization, we find it was used as woven fibers. In the Incan civilization, people repeatedly bred them in gray, brown, white and black to get natural colors without dyeing. It is Leicester-related fiber which was used as lining cloth (current cupro) of suits before because of its enough smoothness.

Alpaca

Sheep's hair is simply known as wool. Merino is a typical wool originated in Europe and very delicate compared with others. The diameter and the curl of the fiber are very even. Nowadays, the major production counties are Australia and New Zealand. It is well known as high quality.

Wool

Camel is extremely strong and light. It has excellent heat retention, resiliency and softness and has been widely used as the best underwear for activities such as the Arctic expedition and mountain climbing in cold areas. "Camel" is skin hair of double-humped camel raised in desert area, central Asia. It is extremely light and has the nature to puff up by taking in air between its hairs so that it is superior in retaining heat. The production is only about 40 tons a year. It is extremely rare fiber.

Camel

Cotton is familiar to Japanese from ancient times. Due to its resistance to rain, it is planted in the irrigated desert. It is light, easy to handle and machine-washable.

Cotton