Why Vicuña Wool Is So Expensive | So Expensive
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- čas přidán 11. 02. 2022
- Vicuña wool is the most expensive textile in the world. And it’s exceptionally difficult to come by. This ultrasoft material is harvested from its namesake, the elusive vicuña, a cousin to llamas and alpacas. It can only be gathered once every two years, when indigenous communities in the Andes Mountains work with the government and conservation organizations to corral the animals, shear them, and release them back into the wild. Only then can the wool be shipped around the world and made into coats that can cost over $30,000. This shearing process must be delicately executed by skilled experts, so as to keep the vicuña population thriving in their natural habitat. So what does it take to corral the vicuñas? And what makes its wool so expensive?
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Why Vicuña Wool Is So Expensive | So Expensive
More valuable than gold yet the people who harvest it earn peanuts.
you mean like gold mires do?
Exactly what I thought
That honestly angers me.
Tbh i think they deserve a better pay like for real.Maybe 500 per month is the best i can do.
Worth more than gold? Last time I checked gold was around $1200 per Troy ounce (31g ish) I'm sorry but unless the price of gold collapsed recently it ain't worth anything like gold. Surely you can come up with an analogy that isn't complete bullsh1t? Just saying!
That’s messed up that the Bolivian government won’t let the local people sell and create their own garments. But they let this Italian luxury designer reap all the profit. Why couldn’t this company make a factory in Bolivia and help mentor them
money
I think that anyone can do that in Bolivia, looks like the lady receive 3 kilos of vicunha with a cheap subsidized price from the government (as a cultural social project from the gov), anything extra, she need to buy from the market
They'll end up breeding competition of they start a factory far away from home
So whenever you hear someone call some government program socialist, it isn't. THIS is socialism, where the government (allegedly influenced by the people) actually controls the means of production, and represents the production to the global marketplace.
Which basically means there are really only a couple actually socialist countries, they are all oil giants, and are immensely successful.
Except for Venezuela, that tried implementing the UAE's crazy successful model with help from the UAE, with the only difference that Venezuela wanted democracy and to not behead corrupt people without a trial.
And so it didn't work out that well.
@@ThomasAlex Yes, which haven't stopped other globalists in China. But there isn't enough Vicuna to go around for an investment like that. Its not a factory mass produced product but made by skilled tailors who aren't going to just share their trade skills with anybody.
The local literally should be given more credit, they deserve the lion share.
Like always, the producers get the smallest share.
The Vicuña is the raw materials. They don’t have the manufacturing process to turn it into a luxury product.
@@bngr_bngr You do realize that most ateliers (the workshop or studio where clothes and accessories are made) for processing the raw materials are just the very people themselves sometimes, by their own hands?
The video even included the lady in her own workshop making her own scarves and garments made from the vicuna fur.
The imported products from Europe seem to get more recognition compared to the local seamstresses and businesses, and they only literally get scraps instead.
Dude, they do this for a living. They get paid by rich chumps to make this stuff
This is a very expensive product in the region, 2 or 3 times more expensive even when going to Italy and other foreign countries simply because the vicuña is the finest material that exists, a product that only a few can afford.
That's amazing how the communities take care of the animals. Glad they saw what they were doing wrong and improved it to make the animals lives during those week or two easier and safer. I find it sad they get so little for their work.
I like the fact think that they shear them in summer and that way they also help them not to suffocate because if it's in winter some could die of cold and if it snows on the peaks worse
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@@soy_0scar7 yeah you can take your Jesus this and god that hit him with a wiffle ball bat and save it for your church. Not everyone is into your god and may find it highly disrespectful it's being shoved down our throats without being asked if it's alright.
The Spanish word for "wool" is "lana", and in some Spanish speaking countries, "lana" is a slang word for "money".
Ah, sí, en Mexico por ejemplo
The Latin word for wool is Lana. Its carried over. Hence the oil name Lanolin.
Interesting. It's the same as "bucks" for money in the US, as in buckskin.
@@clobberelladoesntreadcomme9920 Hello. Cool comparison.
May GOD bless and protect you in the mighty name of JESUS! May GOD and JESUS break every chain the enemy has formed against you and liberate you! May GOD and JESUS fill you with GODliness and love to get through any challenge! GOD IS GOOD! JESUS IS GOOD! GOD is love in times of hate, GOD is strength in times of weakness, GOD is light in times of darkness, GOD is harmony in times of chaos, and GOD is all you need and more! If you need more love/strength/anything GOD is there! GOD LOVES YOU JESUS LOVES YOU! GOD BLESS!
i was looking to find some videos to watch before eating, thank you business insider you have come in clutch once again and saved my food from going cold
Same
Same bro
Lmao I thought only I did it.
Sometime, my food gone cold
Wtf..
Amazing video. Also astonishing that a vicuna jacket sells for $35,000
Branding
make it says made in italy. U can rack it up as much as u want and ppl will buy it. Dick riding the country
thats brand dude. its not actually worth that much. these “designer brands” tend to charge whatever they want.
Half a million for a jacket sometimes.
But it's because of Milan in Italy is one of the fashion capitals of the world. Fashion industries don't move out of Milan...it moves into Milan.
All the best designers, manufacturers, marketing, etc is already there.
Its design, marketing, branding, etc that really multiplies the value of stuff made in Milan several fold...not just the textile being used.
The textile is just very marketable. But without that marketing, etc it's not worth as much.
Branding and it's out of the country/area its made in
Great research insider! Nice to know that they are doing this more humanely and modernising the process
Nothing humane about earning so little money doing all the hard work while some asshole earns 35k for a single coat.
Just some environmentalists helping some rich guy to control the market.
@@mcmarkmarkson7115 Even so, they're still doing this more humanely and modernizing the process
May GOD bless and protect you in the mighty name of JESUS! May GOD and JESUS break every chain the enemy has formed against you and liberate you! May GOD and JESUS fill you with GODliness and love to get through any challenge! GOD IS GOOD! JESUS IS GOOD! GOD is love in times of hate, GOD is strength in times of weakness, GOD is light in times of darkness, GOD is harmony in times of chaos, and GOD is all you need and more! If you need more love/strength/anything GOD is there! GOD LOVES YOU JESUS LOVES YOU! GOD BLESS!
Looks like a cool experience biking and the villagers working together and no harm involved for the animals def 10/10
May GOD bless and protect you in the mighty name of JESUS! May GOD and JESUS break every chain the enemy has formed against you and liberate you! May GOD and JESUS fill you with GODliness and love to get through any challenge! GOD IS GOOD! JESUS IS GOOD! GOD is love in times of hate, GOD is strength in times of weakness, GOD is light in times of darkness, GOD is harmony in times of chaos, and GOD is all you need and more! If you need more love/strength/anything GOD is there! GOD LOVES YOU JESUS LOVES YOU! GOD BLESS!
They should honestly stop exporting the raw material and sell clothing, or raise the prices, bcus these greedy fashion companies are earning like 50-100x as much money from their product while doing little to no work in comparison. It's highly unfair trade.
The costumers are too rich and too st*pid. If not for the fashion brands, these producers would be selling and earning even lesser.
they wont,china needs the work to keep their childeren employed
If they could, then they would have done that a long time ago. They only earn 500-700$ per season, per community. I'm sure they don't have the money or the man power to make clothing, and no way to reach those people who'd pay 35k for a coat.
About raising the prices, well, it's hard to negotiate when the whole area's economy rely on selling wool. What if they can't reach an agreement? Hey everyone, let's just starve because we can't grow anything at all.
I don't mean to start an argument, but really, it's their life. I think they'd be more enthusiastic to improve it than us.
The reason the fashion companies can earn so much is _because_ of the brand names attached. People are willing to pay significantly more for Gucci, Prada...etc. purely on the basis of the name. Which is very dumb, in my opinion, but such is the luxury clothing industry - people want to status symbols.
The raw materials value is the least important in this equation. It's the image and the desire created by the fashion house to convince someone to pay that amount for the final product. Probably they are even pay generously considering that's just some wool.
And somewhere in Italy, the coat makers will make more money in a year than the entire village for a whole lifetime.
What about it?
It's a very basic idea.
The raw vicuña is clearly not worth much on its own, if it was they'd sell it to the highest bidder.
What's truly valuable is the combination of a classic design house, selling a(Hopefully) beautiful vicuña item, made by a master artisan and sold at a store.
And the "value" lies in the fact that someone is willing to pay that much money for it.
A child could understand these concepts.
@@user-iu1ru1qz7u just because it's basic doesn't mean it's okay the people harvesting are putting way more work and are getting less. It's exploitation and it's wrong.
@@weirdchildren2550 you're not understanding the concept, you're too caught up in the difference in value at the start vs the end.
The end value would not exist at all without the company that makes it happen, and the industry might not even exist.
@@weirdchildren2550 because those are just animal fur from andean mountain, nothing more. Without italian fashion demands those viceña worth even less.
@@weirdchildren2550 you don't get money for hard work.
They are very cute animals! Those eyelashes are so beautiful. The way that they gently herd them is so kind. I really enjoyed watching this one, thanks!
Omg, I've never seen this creature before, its adorable! Its like a cuter, small llama. Happy to hear their numbers went up and that theyre protected now
This is a very great improvement over what was done formerly, and another example that humans will not allow an animal to go extinct if it is of value to them. In my younger days it was thought that vicuna would be extinct by now because the only method used to get the wool was to kill the animals from long distance. Good that people finally realized they were literally killing the goose laying the golden eggs before they killed off those last 65. Also that it's necessary to handle them humanely to avoid killing them from stress.
It seems like these hard working locals are getting a raw deal and being taken advantage of.
Yup by there iwn government who sells it and pokets the profits
3:59 We need such efficient conservation for all the endangered species.
If those species made products worth $10's of thousands of dollars then you would definitely see it more.
@@crazy808ish ya...
Even if we skip the expensive wool part, this animal is really beautiful.
I''m glad that the community went through animal care management to understand how to handle this animal
it is so messed up that they limit the amount of raw material people within the country can utilize, but the luxury goods market in Italy practically gets the whole lot.
I have no doubt they pay a percentage to the government for the rights to this. These luxury brands long ago already patented and locked in the rights to be the sole owners of this fiber.
It is what it is and it will never change
I wonder if shop owners in the bigger cities could help the weavers obtain more of the vicuna wool. Couldn't they start a collective that buys from native weavers to help these people continue their art and get better prices for their products, instead of selling it all to other countries. Something to think about when tourism starts back up.
The black market for raw vicuña hurst local artisans.
The problem, like always, seems to be arbitrary government rules that prevent growth, because reasons.
@@user-iu1ru1qz7usource?
@@sander9951 8:13 "she says the state doesn't allow her enough Vicuna product". Don't even need to go further than watching the video lol.
Whenever you're sitting on a valuable asset, it is almost impossible for it not to explode industrially and commercially if an incompetent or ill-intended force(government) doesn't get in the way.
I like the artisan's shawl much more than the $11,000 one.
kinda, but it's also spun very irregularly, it doesn't seem appropriate to use production techniques that rough and inaccurate for a fiber that expensive nowadays. it has the upside that it's more traditional, but if I had that kind of money, I would rather buy one that's first made into more perfect yarn with modern techniques, and then hand-woven like that. either way, it would make A LOT of sense for bolivia to use the viquña wool for domestic textile production instead of exporting it. it could even make sense to ban its raw export, or to only allow a very small amount of wool to be auctioned for export. perhaps they could invite foreign companies to set up viquña textile production in bolivia, but exporting rare resources in raw form to be used for manufacturing elsewhere is generally bad for the exporting countries because they miss out on a lot of the profit.
I was going to comment that shawl is ugly and don't give her any more vicuna because she is wasting it.
@@TheBooban well I'm glad you didn't
That thing was insanely intricate
Great video. Became an avid fan after I found out the So Expensive series last year staying home.
They looks soo dam adorable
The way they manage vicunas in community organisations is a wonderfoul thing and i think this is the greatest wealth for them because through the communities they have created they can make their own market of vicuna products;it must be a right thing that the companies that produces vicuna clothes pay the right amount to the communities and promote their
products in international market
I’m a bit doubtful of the translation, and I wish they had asked more about how much the workers earn. In Spanish the transcript is “Y de esto muchas comunidades, cada uno puede percibir 5000, 6000, 7000 bolivianos”
I don’t know the nuances of the local dialect but that could mean either each community earns that much, or each MEMBER of the community earns that much. I honestly hope it’s the latter, but the English translation tells the opposite story. Seeing the price of the scarf at up to 11,000 bolivianos I think the pay must be per individual worker, which is not too bad.
Yea, it’s a mistranslation. It’s per person. The word comunidad is feminine and “cada uno” is masculine referring to person.
Vicuña just seems like a cooler Alpaka
THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
We once had a guest who lived in Australia, where the wild goats would come down to be sheared out of their own will. I wonder if these animals will eventually get used to the whole shearing thing?, the goats did.
I hated getting my hair cut as a kid, now I like it... so yeah could happen
Nope. Vicuñas can not be domesticated. As they said in the video
I don't know how hot it is in Bolivia, but looking at the vicuna's fur, it doesn't seem too thick for them to desire a haircut.
This is a very expensive product in the region, 2 or 3 times more expensive even when going to Italy and other foreign countries simply because the vicuña is the finest material that exists, a product that only a few can afford.
I'm a Peruvian, it is softest wool in the world.
Always amazes me how the lives of locals are never enhanced by government.
Great research!
Introducing an export ban on unfinished Vicuña would ensure this community turns wealthy within a few years, but this is a country that got a coup because they wanted to nationalize their Lithium reserves.
Rich countries stay rich for a reason
What beautiful and sustainable tradition.❤️
loved this content! I am amazed they can capture wild pack of animals and harvest their fur.
Se debe cuidar los artesanos del mismo vicuna con apoyo!
This is awesome!
Amazing. This is the first time that I heard this product
It is NOT WORTH MORE THAN GOLD. They say a kilogram sells for $370, while a kilogram of gold is $60,000
I think what thyre trying to say is the retail price of vicuna coats.
@@napoleonbonaparte1260 And 1 kilo of gold will barely get you a vicuña suit
I would rather go to South America and buy a piece of clothing from these locals at a Decent price that benefits them than some European monopoly. It gives the garment more meaning knowing the craftsmanship comes from the same source of the fabric along with everything else like an artesanal piece it’s a would be a nice souvenir for sure
I really like that they have a sustainable way of harvesting the wool. Too bad they don't get all the benefits they should.
I love that they release the pack all at once so individuals don't get lost (instead of releasing them one by one as they're done with them
I love these so expensive episodes
I feel like half the stuff in the so expensive series we didn’t even know existed
I love that they get it without killing or hurting the animals & the animal is raise wild.
Wow thax bi for the knowledge 😘👍
Vicuñas looks so cute, I really wanna hug'em
FINALLY someone talks about Vecunas!!!!!!
Wow, an actually very interesting video
this makes me so sad cause raw wool from peru&argentina for example is very cheap then it’s processed overseas and sold to US knitters for $30-60 for a hat portion while the shepherds don’t make living wages
This animal was on the endangered species red list back in the 1960's
Vicuña wool is incredible, but the people gathering it deserve way more of the money than they get...
Not too far off from merino wool with 15 microns...must be more expensive due to the limited amount that can be harvested over the years with such a small population.
loro piana sells $800 plain white shirt. the mark-up for branding is also need to be considered.
Luxurious brands profit more and I understand that, the process maybe expensive just to make clothes but they also need to give more credits for the people who keep their business alive.
Perus national treasure 🇵🇪🇵🇪🇵🇪
That fur looks absolutely incredible
For a wild animal that would be very scary.
The scary predators pin you down, grab your neck, covers your eyes and then......it releases you WTF !
Such sweet & gentle Vicunas. Nobody can think of hurting them. Only a very cruel person would do that. Bolivians are so lucky to have Vicunas. 💚😇💖🐪
I was watching another video about vicuña exactly before I watch this vid.
I'm confused how it's worth more than gold. A kilo of gold is like 60k. Many times more than what they said the wool cost per kilo. Measured by volume maybe?
I'm pretty sure with "vicuna wool is worth 3x the price of gold" they mean the cost of it *after* its been worked on in say Italy, not the unrefined version.
The raw fleece might still be worth that much by weight. The one thing usually overlooked in comparisons to gold is that gold is extremely dense. Wool is very light. There are actually a lot of things worth more than gold by weight.
@@calliarcale 1 kilo of gold is like 50k usd one kilo of vicuna is like 400.. 1 kilo of gold is the same as one kilo of vicuna
Anyone can turn it into thread or felt or whatever. The value is in the vicuña do not get it twisted by capitalism. Any imbécil can process the fibers.
Makes me wonder how much govt corruption is involved? The locals should have more control of their resources.
A lot to the point, in Bolivia we have chinese companies taking our gold. Very disappointing and the country never moves foward.
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Seems so cozy, yo quiero una chombita de vicuña 🥺
Imagine the vicuña becoming common enough to where Bolivia can move away from alpaca wool and live solely on this animal. That Would be revolutionary.
I'm sorry to tell you that no, it wouldn't be revolutionary. It is expensive because it is uncommon.
I've never bought a Loro Piana but I bet it's pretty nice.
Very nice, have a nice day friend 🌷👋🌱😄
every time they see 100 motorcycles approaching they know it's time for a shave
They are so cute. So glad they aren't getting hurt.
Yes but are you glad that the people who do all this hard work, who also have to *PAY* *THEMSELVES* if they break the motorcycles. God, why do children these days only *AND* *ALWAYS* Look at the so called "bright side" of these things? Think about it, does the animal mean more or a human literally *STARVING* ?!
If anyone take this seriously.
Please create an app such that the harvesters get all the value for product they sell.
Make an app that will help them sell their products directly to primary buyers.
I’m a craft spinner and watching this I was thinking, oh my I would absolutely love love a vicuña flee, then I was really shocked that the artisans are limited to 2 kilos a year and yet it’s those people with the farmers who do all the work.
I hope business grows in the local community and prosperous the people in Bolivia.
One thing I got to know is that Vicuñas are cute.
So expensive I never heard of it. The truly rich always know how to live.
If you know what it’s like to sheer then you know it’s not an easy process
It's a shame that the local community does not get to work with more of the vicuña wool. It would be cool to see their traditional designs in locally made clothes. Here's to hoping Bolivia is am to grow and modernize the industry.
Bruh of course the Italians are running a wool racket
Only once every 2 years! dang that is a long time :O
Let the people who catch and shear and make the beautiful but very limited garments have the credit and more fiber so they can make more money for their communities!
In many business insider mini docs the people who make the product always get ripped off
I'm pretty sure the leather and other materials used to make a Louis Vuitton bag is way far cheaper than their final product. I guess the same goes for this wool and the Italian sweaters they are made into.
Interesting
Good.
Awesome looking animals, glad they weren't killed.
One doesn’t experience self-transcendence, the illusion of self only dissipates🎈
Years ago my mother bought what she thought was a picnic blanket at a jumble sale it was used as that for years very hard wearing it sat on my dad's parcel shelf in his Vauxhall viva and when it was time clean it down to the dry cleaning it went to be told it was some sort of exotic wool I'd say it's about five foot square beautiful interesting pattern it's in a vacuum sealed bag under my bed may be one day I'll sell it have a nice three month cruise thanks mum love you 😘
Can we get a link to buy locally sourced vicuña wool? I want a scarf made from a Bolivian craft maker
It's amazing how colonialism and imperialism still exists strongly until this day
Capitalism.
yeah let they be even poorest
Vicuñas: Watch out ... Human mammals are coming to get our wool!
Other Vicuñas: I gave them only last month! Are they back again?!
Vicuñas: All our wool are sold at European market!
Keep them safe man .
me encanta tu vicuña
Business Insider - "The wool is worth more than gold. 1kg can sell for $370"
Cost of 1kg of gold - $61, 953
K
I didn't even even know this animal existed
Could you make a video showing Merino Wool and Lambswool?
First of all, it is not the most expensive fiber in the world. Second, they haven't been domesticated because the people don't want them domesticated. Three, people harvested the wool for centuries before there were motorcycles. It is duplicitous to tell people it is more difficult than what it is.
"Worth more than gold".
$370 / kg. Are you kidding me?
As usual the harvester always gets the short end of the stick
5:32 can't carry their generators? I don't believe that, now they have suitcase sized generators that are very easy to carry and pretty cheap, more than enough for their tools.
Yeah but not powerful enough to run multiple powered shearing plants.
Thank you for this info.Nice.Gof speed for fair trading.
Why don’t some of the companies that sell the wool, give a small portion of the money to these people making their lives better.