By Cristal Jimenez

 

Last March 13, journalist Marcelo Rochabrun, along with his collaborator Angela Ponce, published for the site "Bloomberg" the report titled: "Vicuñas and a luxurious US$9,000 sweater", where they exposed the indifference of remuneration that the Italian brand Loro Piana has had towards the Lucana community located in Peru, they happen to be the main exporters of the raw material known as: Vicuña wool., ellos resultan ser los principales exportadores de la materia prima conocida como: Lana vicuña.

 

Loro Piana is an Italian brand founded in 1924, and is currently part of the luxury brand conglomerate LVMH, where other prestigious brands such as Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine, etc. belong. Moreover, this brand, due to its minimalist designs and for being considered the best artisan specialized in wool, has been catalogued as "Silent Luxury", becoming an object of desire for those who have or wish to have a style based on the "Old money" aesthetics. Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Princess Charlène of Monaco, are some of the names of the consumers of this brand, but the question is what is the background that the brand makes in order to satisfy these customers?

Angela Ponce for Bloomberg Businessweek

Obtaining this vicuña wool involves a long process that involves time and physical labor, from capturing the vicuñas at an altitude of 4,000 meters in the mountains, to directing them to a corral, shearing each vicuña and then releasing them to return to the mountains.

 

The "fiber of the gods" is even more valuable because it is not a mass-produced material, as the vicuñas can only be sheared every two years; for this reason, a kilo of this fiber was purchased at a price of US$400. However, according to statements made by the president of the Lucana community, Roberto Carlos Sarmiento, in the previous two years the price of vicuña fiber dropped to US$330 and US$280, which is an approximate price they receive for the raw material, but the incongruity of the case is that Loro Piana sells garments for $3,200.00 to $9,000 or more.

 

This situation went viral in all the media and social networks around the world, to the point that Robert Garcia, a Californian speaker and Democrat of Peruvian origin, presented a letter to the president of Loro Piana, Antoine Arnault, requesting that the company express your explanation of the facts.

 

Given this media case, on March 20, the president of the Lucana community offered an interview to the Exitosa radio station in Peru, and declared that the price of fiber varies over the years and that “There are misinterpretations by the press.”, that is, it does not fully affirm that there is exploitation by Loro Piana, especially because they cannot provide a statement against the brand, since the community workers maintain an agreement with the company.

Website de Loro Piana -Vicuña Clothing for Men

Loro Piana did respond and stated: “In recent years we have increased investments in irrigation, education, and infrastructure in Peru, and we are committed to dedicating additional resources to benefit the community.”

 

The reality is that we continue to expect how the case will continue, and it is not known with certainty who has the absolute truth; However, what can be stated is that in situations like these, it is the peasant communities that end up facing the challenges, when they are the ones who should enjoy their patrimonial wealth.

 

 

 

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