Alpaca fiber is considered one of the most luxurious and fine fibers in the world, it has thermal capacity, it is soft and resistant and very scarce in the market, making it more exclusive. This wool, like sheep’s wool, is obtained from the farms of the Andean region of Ecuador.
The range of fabrics from the Artesalinas brand made with alpaca and sheep wool includes fabrics for the whole family, accessories, bags, with traditional and edgy designs , each garment is unique, woven point to point by the artisans that form the Association of Artesanas de Salinas. They have varied and modern colors.
Currently, the Association of Artisans has 110 artisan women members who live in the parish center and in the communities of Yuraucsha, Natahua, Verdepamba, Pachancho, San Vicente, Pambabuela and La Palma who are mothers of families and divide their time between taking care of home, the children and the manufacturing of crafts.
This organization was born in 1974 with the help of volunteers, including Father Antonio Polo, José Tonello, Carla Sbeghen and Gisela Kirst, bringing together 15 young women to create employment opportunities by taking advantage of their innate skills and sheep’s woolthat the peasants of the region exploited and that didn’t have a commercial destiny, they start spinning by hand with the help of the guango (a wooden tool usedancestrallyby the indigenous people).
In 2003, the Women group became an organization with legal identity with corresponding legal statutes such as the Association for the Social Development of Artisans TEXAL, which gave them the necessary impetus to move from being an informal craft workshop to a nonprofit organization, aimed at promoting the social educational and economic development of salinean women whose activity of sustainability is the development and marketing of hand knits, whose policies are to pay fair prices to artisans, solidarity and self-sustainability. From this instance, international relations are strengthened especially with Italy, through Italian agents, volunteers and Fair-Trade Organizations.
Artesalinas products have the organic certification of Kiwa BCS and this seal is easy to recognize for the consumer and guarantees a recognized quality and ecological seriousness of the bidding companies (www.kiwabcs-oeko.com).
ACQUISITION OF RAW MATERIALS- THREADS
The threads are produced in the Salinas Intercomunal Spinning Mill that started its activity in 1982. The Salinerito brand threads are made of natural alpaca and sheep fibers, produced in different types, thicknesses and natural and artificial colors. The raw material (wool) comes mainly from the provinces of Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and Bolívar.
