Warmer and every bit as soft as cashmere, this sweater is made from the fine fleece of the Peruvian Alpaca, a camelid that produces one of the world's most sought-after natural fibers. Once a year, the wool is hand-shorn from alpacas' bellies and necks where the fibers are incredibly fine (22 1/2 microns wide versus 26 for wool), producing a "baby-soft", luxurious hand that rivals the finest cashmere. Peruvians living 11,000' above sea level in the Altiplano have thrived for centuries in the long, harsh Andes winters due to the impeccable warmth of the alpaca fleece. Alpaca fibers are hollow and act as a natural insulator by trapping warm air against the body, resulting in 30% more warmth than the same amount of sheep's wool. Not only soft and warm, alpaca fibers are so resilient that 2,000-year-old Incan ruins have yielded alpaca garments still intact with their original color. The gray sweater is woven with a cable pattern, resists stretching, shrinking, and wrinkling, and is free of lanolin for hypoallergenic wear. Imported. Hand wash or dry clean. Men's chest sizes S (40"), M (44"), L (46"), X (48"), XXL (50"). (1 lb.)