Spirit of the Andes

founded in 1993, spirit of the andes is a well-loved brand selling knitwear made by artisans in peru and bolivia using alpaca and pima cotton. peruvian and bolivian communities raise alpacas for their sumptuous wool and resulting luxurious knitwear; similarly their pima cotton provides a comfortable and high quality fabric from which beautiful garments are woven and sold in our shops and online. in 2015 the spirit of the andes brand was acquired by richard hartley, owner of the alpaca collection based in stratford-upon-avon. by coincidence the alpaca collection also opened for business in 1993, when richard returned from extensive travels in south america. he fell in love with the region, despite being kidnapped, and decided to give something back to the local communities by setting up local groups of alpaca knitters in peru and bolivia. our knitwear is designed by our team here in great britain and our own knitters in peru and bolivia. generations of indigenous knitters have produced