Paka, a company that manufactures outdoor athletics apparel that makes use of alpaca fur, launched a new material innovation in alpaca fiber: PAKACLOUD. This
alpaca-based fleece is the first of its kind and outperforms standard synthetic fleece in
warmth to weight ratio, testing twice as warm in CLO value tests.
The original “fleece” fabric in the 1970’s was synthetic, despite the word originating from
natural animal fiber. With PAKACLOUD, Paka is bringing fleece back to its origin with
a pullover crafted with fully traceable alpaca fleece. The alpaca wool in PAKACLOUD
features hollow medullated air pockets, which reduce heat transfer and create an
insulating buffer compared to synthetic fibers, which have a heavier, less insulating solid
fiber structure. Alpaca wool also boasts exceptional moisture management, antibacterial
and thermoregulating characteristics owed to alpacas’ evolution in the highly fluctuating
alpine environment of the Andes.
Traditional synthetic fleece, made from oil, is the largest contributor to microplastic water
contamination in the clothing industry, shedding up to 250,000 microfibers in a single
wash.
PAKACLOUD offers a more sustainable option for the full fleece lifecycle: it is renewable and ethically-sourced and the natural fibers in the fabric blend don’t shed microplastic pollution into our waterways when washed.
“What’s crazy to me is that the word ‘fleece’ means the wooly covering of an animal,”
said Paka founder and CEO, Kris Cody, “yet 95 percent of fleeces currently made are from
oil (polyester, acrylic, nylon). I’m so proud that we’ve re-infused nature back into fleece
and made it 2x warmer in doing so.”
The PAKACLOUD fleece is made with baby alpaca fiber, named for the softness of the
wool. Each pullover features a handwoven Inca ID crafted by women artisans employed
at 4x the living wage in Peru, and cordlock system at the hem featuring pullers made
from corn byproduct.
