A pair of live alpacas steal the spotlight during the Peru Shanghai Fashion Gala runway presentation at Consinee Center
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, October 17, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — SHANGHAI — Consinee Group, industry leader in luxury yarn production and China’s largest cashmere yarn exporter, recently committed to increasing their alpaca yarn production by 30% in 5 years. Currently Consinee produces 1500 tons of alpaca yarn annually, which accounts for 10-15% of the global total production of the natural fiber native to South America. This decision was announced recently during Shanghai Fashion Week, when the Consinee Center in Shanghai hosted the Peru Fashion Gala on October 8th as the first phase of a new relationship with South American alpaca and vicuna producers, made possible through the facilitation of the Peruvian government.
The evening opened with welcoming remarks by Boris Xue, Chairman of Consinee Group and David Gamarra, Consul General of Peru in Shanghai, a capsule collection of gorgeous knitwear featuring alpaca and cashmere wool designed exclusively for the evening was sent down the runway.
Attended by leaders of the Chinese fashion and manufacturing industries, the Peruvian Ambassador to China Luis Quesada as well as Consul Generals from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, the true stars of the evening were a pair of heart-meltingly adorable live alpacas.
Mr. Gamarra noted that 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the Peru-China diplomatic relationship, and that China is the second main destination for Peru’s alpaca products. The South American country’s Andean hills are the ancestral home of the gentle grazers, and currently boasts an alpaca population of over 4 million, almost 80% of the world total.
Peru’s textile and apparel sector provides employment to more than 350,000 people, and the alpaca industry supports tens of thousands of indigenous farmers and herders. Alpaca fiber, known as “Gold of the Andes” have been in use for more than 5000 years, the Incans reserved the wool for the royal family and nobility, and today they are prized for being hypoallergenic(free of lanolin), light(hollow-core), water-repellent, and for their luxurious softness and low environmental impact owing to their efficient grazing habits and padded hooves.
Consinee Group produces over 10,000 tons of premium yarn products a year for designer clients including Chanel, Burberry, Max Mara, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, etc. Their yarn is woven from natural fibers including baby cashmere from Inner Mongolia, mohair, vicuna and alpaca. While alpaca yarn accounts for approximately 15% of Consinee’s total production, Mr. Xue expects the fiber will contribute to 20% of the company total by 2026. Adding, “In recent years we’ve noticed an increase in demand from our international brand clients for alpaca wool yarn. We believe this is driven mainly by an industry-wide commitment to sustainability as well as by the unique luxury qualities of the alpaca fiber.”
As an industry leader, Consinee Group established the Consinee Shanghai Center to serve domestic brands and design professionals, acting as a hub for industry dialogue. Mr. Quesada presented the center with a plaque designating it as an officially recognized exhibition center for Peruvian Alpaca. Xue thinks opportunities like this is exactly why he built the Consinee Center, explaining that “as the only Asian participant and exhibitor of Italy’s prestigious Pitti Filati, we hope to share our first-hand access to international trends with China’s design industry.” This November, Consinee Group’s TOPLINE brand will participate at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) with their South American partners.
Consinee’s new relationships established directly with South American alpaca and vicuna fiber producers is a step forward in the right direction, Xue believes. He hopes this will benefit his brand clients as he looks at the group’s growth plans in a post-pandemic world. While the US and Europe remain the top destinations for Consinee yarn, domestic Chinese brands have been outpacing international clients in growth in the past year. While the markets may differ in taste, they share a common concern for environmental and social responsibility. To that end, Consinee not only advocates for animal rights and nature preservation, they also partnered with Siemens to build the world’s first intelligent, digital unmanned factory.
Mary Xu
Consinee Group
15867889325
mary.xu@top-line.org
