Mariela and Gaby, we are blood sisters and dreamers who have immersed ourselves in the world of Royal Knit, following the example of our parents, Sebastian and Benita, the founders. They began their journey as volunteers for Caritas (a Catholic religious organization supporting the extreme poverty sector) in the 1970s, initiating their professional lives in the Alpaca value chain. They were dedicated to working with over 2000 artisans in the Puno and surrounding areas, serving as weaving trainers and providing quality training for export. Their goal was to eventually unite these artisans in a large cooperative in the Puno region. In the 1980s, after starting a family, they moved to the city of Cusco, where they established their own company, Colecciones del Ande. There, they trained over 500 artisans in the marginalized areas of Cusco, marking their first export to the United States with the client Peruvian Connection in 1985.
Sebastian and Benita worked diligently for the wellbeing of their family and community. Their growth was not isolated, emphasizing the social interests of all their workers. They encouraged their employees to excel, motivating them to establish their own businesses. The legacy of empathy, love for their work, appreciation for Peruvian talent, honesty, transparency, and fair trade is the DNA of our company.
Mariela is an economist with a Master’s in International Business in the Textile field from Spain. Despite her professional background, she has a passion for fashion and textiles, having pursued academic specializations in fashion Design and Pattern Making at various fashion schools in Barcelona. Currently, she is the General Manager and also the Head of Design and Product Development. Alongside her team, she advises clients on different materials, gauges, and weaving techniques.
“As a businesswoman and mother, I am committed to providing employment opportunities to groups facing economic and social disadvantages, especially towards mothers who, due to economic conditions or gender-based violence, find it challenging to access work. I have the privilege of raising my son and would like more mothers to have that opportunity. Mothers need to be with their children in their early years, ensuring a better society of more humane, empathetic, and values-driven individuals towards others
and the planet.”
Gabriela, a lawyer with a specialization in Sales and Marketing Management from Centrum, joined the company as an HR assistant to ensure compliance with labor regulations. Currently, she serves as the Commercial & Export Manager, overseeing the timely production and providing extensive support and international logistics advice.
“Being the daughter of Benita Cutipa and Sebastian Lopez is my best introduction. I grew up among threads, witnessing my parents’ work, who have a different concept of a company sharing with others is the key. From a young age, I learned to invest in people’s work and see through their eyes, helping them
with new tools to improve efficiency. Currently, I am responsible for coordinating with our groups in Puno. It’s gratifying to learn from our artisans about their love for the earth, respect for traditions, and passion for what they do. From my position, I have the mission of ensuring that we maintain our quality standards so that our customers continue to support not only ROYAL KNIT but everyone involved in the entire process.”
The city is located in the south of Peru, bordering Bolivia, at an elevation of 3,827 meters above sea level. Our connection with this city comes from our parents, who have been working with various groups of artisans for over 20 years.
The city is a hub for our highest production capacity, specializing in 100% handmade products using crochet and knitting techniques (two needles). Currently, there are 15 groups, each consisting of approximately 20 women, totaling up to around 300 weavers located throughout the city of Puno in various districts or neighborhoods.
Our company has a location on the
the shores of Lake Titicaca, where these women gather 1 or 2 times a week, at a minimum. During these meetings, product quality
is ensured by the leaders, who act as multipliers for this work, much like bees carrying pollen to flowers throughout the city of Puno. Many clients inquire whether the weavers work in an 8-hour factory schedule.The answer is no.
Our project, Royal Knit, aims to promote the inclusion of populations facing social and economic disadvantages. Therefore, we have chosen to work exclusively with women and mothers in this area, seeking their empowerment.
They can balance childcare
responsibilities with their weaving work at home, supervised by the leaders to ensure quality and timely
orders.
This organized approach has been successful, allowing us to work on productions for renowned highfashion brands. The understanding and commitment to the women in this area have enabled us to create wonderful collections sustainably and with the high quality that their end customers deserve.
TEXTILE SPECIALIZATION
Crochet and knitting with
two needles.
We work in rural communities where the primary activity is subsistence agriculture, and the level of poverty is extreme due to the limited reach of the central government in such remote areas. Our connection with these communities, specifically Huaro and Ocongate, originated from training sessions we conducted at the invitation of various NGOs. These organizations invite private companies to provide training in weaving and export-quality standards. Upon completing our commitment, we made it a point to offer employment, and for over 10 years, we have been working with them.
We respect their textile traditions and knowledge and refrain from imposing techniques on them. Preserving their traditional methods is a priority in our company’s mission and vision. Therefore, in collaboration with our clients, we adapt the
market to the artisans.
In the community of Ocongate, located 128 km from the city of Cusco, we collaborate with a husband-and-wife team who are leaders in their community. They have a weaving workshop at their home, where we work on a portion of our Home Textiles and Cushion collection.
Together with 12 artisans, they master various techniques on the pedal loom.In the community of Huaro, situated 78 km from the city of Cusco, we work with Nicanor. Before our collaboration, he had unused looms that he only used to weave blankets for personal use, alongside his dedication to agriculture. Passionate about textiles, he taught this technique to his daughter and close relatives. Now, he leads a workshop with 10 artisans, producing cotton belts for women and exports.
TEXTILE SPECIALIZATION
Pedal loom and hand weaving.
Lima is a capital with almost 10 million inhabitants, constituting 30% of the total
population of Peru. In the 1980s, due to the terrorism our country faced, many families from provinces migrated to the capital to escape the violence in their towns at the hands of terrorists. Now, in a peaceful country, Lima is a capital that still faces challenges in resolving an adequate
transportation system and other basic needs. Consequently, there are large and densely populated districts with significant job shortages for thousands of artisans residing in Lima, the capital.
We work with 20 workshops formalized under labor and tax laws, providing us with weaving services on industrial machines of the Stoll brand. Through strategic growth
in response to market needs, we can offer production capacities ranging from Gauge 3 to Gauge 12. All these workshops are located in districts such as San Juan de Miraflores, Manchay, San Juan de Lurigancho, and Carabayllo.Despite the growth of industrial production in recent years, we still collaborate with weavers on manual family machines. There are techniques that machines cannot replace, and with the support of our design team, we offer our clients seasonal proposals for hand-knitted stitches. This ensures that the capacity of manual labor remains relevant, providing employment for numerous artisans.
TEXTILE SPECIALIZATION
Industrial rectilinear knitting from Gauge 3 to Gauge 12, with a total of 30 available Stoll machines.
Manual weaving and hand-finished details.
Beside our design, sales and logistic department we have a small workplace, where they execute the quality checks and add the final elements to the garments. The headquarters is the main location and the base where all the communication and briefings come from. From sketch until final check, everything will be coordinate from here. The designs always pass the HQ for several quality control checks before they will be transported to the client.
Besides the ethical weaving techniques worked out by the traditional artisans we also spent a lot of time on innovation and experiment with special knitting techniques and dying processes. We are collaborating
with a couple of partners who can improve the craft skills by using high-tech machines. Our power is to bring heritage and innovation together in a different way of producing products.
We are increasing our way of working with machines, instead of replacing handcraft by the artisans. The machines provide our capacity for production which is needed in a competitive market. Handloom is our first pick, but if it’s needed we expand it with machinal production, without losing the social impact. We finish our projects mostly by hand and create by combining handcraft and machinal, which results in a wide range
of innovative designs and products.
One of our partners is located in the industrial district of the capital of Peru – La Victoria District, Lima City – It’s a family company, where now the next generation has the lead, which are building out the empire with new machines and technical upgrades under normal, transparent workcircumstances.
Royal knit is member of AIA ( Alpaca International Association) which allow us to use The Alpaca Mark that guarantee the quality of the fiber, more info https://aia.org.pe/en/the-alpaca-mark/
https://youtu.be/OsE3AuVH9uI?si=935PhyGF5rOVsIJa
Alpaca fiber is considered by the fashion industry to be one of the greenest, most natural, exclusive and luxurious fibres with a less fragile ecosystem.
Did you know alpacas have 1 baby a year?
Gestation lasts approximately 348 days.
Alpacas have been domesticated for thousands of years and although they wander freely, they live in symbiosis with humans. Periodical sheering is a healthy practice as it prevents severe sickness and parasites in Alpacas. After their first birthday , alpacas get sheered once a year in the spring. In the Andes, sheering usually takes place in October – November.
As Alpacas get older, their fiber gets thicker. It’s no surprise Baby Alpaca is known for its softness. The term Baby Alpaca is assigned to a specific fiber diameter range, measured in microns. Baby Alpaca fiber ranges from 22-23 microns. Typically this range is collected from young alpacas, but there may be young alpacas that surpass the classification, as well as older alpacas that manage to supply low micron fiber.
The lowest documented micron count in alpaca fiber is 16 microns labeled as Alpaca 16. Royal Alpaca follows with a range of 18-19 microns.
Alpacas are animals native to the Peruvian highlands. There are an estimated 4 million Alpacas in South America, and about 95% of them found in the southern regions of Peru.
Alpacas have lived for thousands of years at altitudes ranging from 2,500 to 4,500 metres above sea level, enduring extreme weather conditions that can vary from +30°C to -20°C in a single day. If this noble fibre did not have certain special properties, the animal would die.
Nature could not have designed a better natural insulating fibre. Alpacas survive on a lowprotein diet based on natural vegetation typically found in high-altitude moorlands. Indigenous people in our Andes Mountains source the high-quality alpaca fibre every 12 months during the shearing season (November to March), without causing any harm to the alpacas.
Alpaca fibre is a natural hair made of protein, and as such is naturally biodegradable when discarded and mixed back into the soil in a relatively short period of time. Synthetic and other artificial fibres, on the other hand, take a long time to degrade and have a negative impact on our environment
There are two Alpaca types: Huacayo and Suri, which differ from each other in both their appearance and the characteristics of their fiber.
Scientific Name: Lama Pacos
Population: 4.0 million
Habitat: Peru, Chile & Bolivia
It is the predominant Alpaca type. Its bulky, yet fine fleece offers the widest range of natural shades. Huacayos have a harmonious shape giving it an appearance of strength and grace.
Scientific Name: Lama Pacos
Population: 400 000
Habitat: Peru, Chile & Bolivia
Is the least predominant Alpaca type. It has a curly, shiny and silky fibre. Its fleece comes in a narrow range of pale, natural shades, such as white, fawns and light browns. The Suri has an eye-catching shape and appearance thanks to its long hair.
We use yarn from suppliers that respect animal welfare and obtained RAS CERTIFICATION ( Responsable Alpaca Standard)
https://textileexchange.org/responsible-alpaca-standard/.
Not all kilos produced by the Industry are certified, there is a
long way but the iniatives has already been established and are
vigent into our Peruvian Laws.
The Responsible Alpaca Standard safeguards the welfare of alpacas and the ecosystems around them, is a voluntary standard that requires all sites, from alpaca farms through to the seller in the final business-to-business transaction, to be certified. RAS farmers and ranchers must meet animal welfare, land management, and social requirements.
Our yarn suppliers, whether for alpaca, merino, or cotton, hold certifications that guarantee the suitability of the product and their commitment to creating a sustainable value chain. As such, I am providing links to the certifications of each of them:
https://www.incatops.com/en/certifications/
https://www.michell.com.pe/michell/en/certifications
In the earliest of the Peruvian history you will found examples of the bound between Incas and Alpaca, which placed a higher value on Alpaca fiber than gold or silver.
The knowledge and craftsmanship of spinning & knitting is passed from generation
to generation which result in a rich, diverse textile heritage of Peru.
It’s fiber is supple and smooth to the touch and because of the featherweight, it’s ultra comfortable to wear. Prized for its unique silky and luxurious feel and has a lesser tendency to pilling. It’s softer than cashmere and warmer and stronger than lamb’s wool. Living in the Peruvian Andes without any harm during the shearing process, no use of harsh chemicals results in a completely safe and natural environment and fibre. Alpaca contains microscopic air pockets like human hair, which creates lightweight clothing with good insulating values. Therefore, depending on the external temperature, the air which is enclosed inside the hair can expand and contract. This variation in temperature makes the alpaca fiber the ideal for the human being. It maintains that needed balance in temperature. So you can wear either during the cold and spring seasons.
Alpaca is generally more sustainable but also the production is more ethically raised than wool from sheeps, which produce fewer fleeces and need more water and herded animals aren’t the only creatures in the area. Those former grasslands are also home to endangered snow leopards, wild horses, and Tibetan antelope. All of whose survival have been threatened by the cashmereindustry. The alpaca live mostly without any boundaries in the highlands of the Peruvian Andes.
There soft padded feet are gentle on the grass terrain and they graze without destroying the root system of the area | https://youtu.be/oNWTQFpX9As?si=K6jJi5eyHQqDCW2f
Alpaca is the only animal that produces up to 28 natural colors which can be blended into an infinite array of natural shades. From inky black to warm chestnut and snowy white. Alpaca is easily dyed in any color and always retains its natural luster.
For years, the Cañete and Chincha Valley, located in the South of Lima, has been
the main region that produces Peruvian Organic Cotton. In this region the organic environmentally friendly methods used in the production are:
• Using untreated and non-GMO seeds
• Rotating crops to build strong soil which retain water more efficiently, avoiding water waste
• Controlling and removing
the weeds by hand
• Using beneficial insects instead of killing them and also using biological and cultural practices to control pests and harvesting by hand.
• GOTS Certifications and Oekotex Standards.
The Pima, or “gamuza” as the Peruvians also refer to the fiber thanks it’s softness and outstanding length and long durability to the excellent growing conditions in the northern coastal valleys of which it is grown such as Peru, Australia, Israel, and the United States. Unlike many commercial types of cotton, is harvested entirely by hand, which preserves the natural white of the fiber and can be easily dyed. Hand harvesting is very important since industrial harvesting of cotton leaves impurities
and a yellowish color. It also has a 1 3/8” of length, which is twice more than the regular size, which results in greater strength, uniformity, and durability.