Preserving Rare Luxury: Sustainable Black Alpaca for a Greener Future
LUXURY ROOTED IN PURPOSE
NOIR is a purposeful project grounded in environmental integrity and cultural reverence. Created by designer Valerie Garmino, NOIR shines a light on one of nature’s rarest gems: the black baby alpaca. Naturally pigmented, ethically sourced, and handcrafted, each piece is a quiet statement of what luxury can and should be.
Born from multiple journeys to the Andes Mountains, where Valerie Garmino discovered one of the world’s purest and rarest fibers, NOIR celebrates the profound beauty of nature in its rawest form—and the skilled hands that give it life. It is a manifesto for slow fashion, conscious elegance, and the honoring of ancestral wisdom through modern design.
Naturally Black,
Eternally Green
NOIR is a tribute to what remains pure—honoring nature, memory, and the timeless beauty of the unaltered.
The Protection of a Luxury Rare Gem
Where Rarity Lives
In the wind-swept heights of the Andes lives the black alpaca—where time moves with the rhythm of the land, and a rare, ancient lineage quietly endures.
Naturally dark, incredibly soft, and nearly extinct, its fiber is untouched by dyes and prized for its purity.
Design as Preservation
NOIR supports the regeneration of the black alpaca through intentional action and designs that incorporate this sacred wool. Through selective breeding and research programs, the project works alongside Andean herders to strengthen and restore this endangered genetic legacy.
Empowering Communities, Preserving Heritage
As the world moves toward sustainable beauty, NOIR creates space where heritage and hope align. By supporting rural Andean communities to raise and protect black alpacas, we help safeguard biodiversity, revive ancestral traditions, and build lasting, purpose-driven livelihoods with pride.
Sustainable Core Pillars
Naturally Dyed
Black alpaca fiber needs no chemical dyes—its rich, natural color means cleaner water and less pollution
Low Impact
Farming
Alpacas are gentle on the land, require little water, and thrive in high-altitude ecosystems without overgrazing.
Energy-Efficient Processing
With low natural grease, black alpaca fiber uses less energy and fewer chemicals in cleaning and production.
Biodegradable & Sustainable
Natural and biodegradable, black alpaca wool is a plastic-free, envirom-ntal-conscious alternative to synthetic fibers.
Rare, Durable, and Waste-Reducing
Its rarity makes black alpaca a valued material. Durable garments mean less waste and longer.
Biodiversity Protection
Safeguarding the rare black alpaca—less than 0.07% of Peru’s herd—to maintain genetic diversity and cultural heritage.
A Gift Once Meant
for Kings & Gods
Long before borders were drawn on maps, in the high silence of the Andes, the black alpaca was revered as a divine gift—its fiber believed to be spun from the shadows of sacred mountains.
Legends tell of a time when black alpacas were offered only to Inca royalty, their wool reserved for emperors, high priests, and the earth goddess Pachamama herself. Rare, soft, and naturally dark as obsidian, it was a fiber not just of warmth, but of wisdom, status, and ceremony.
As centuries passed and colonization reshaped the land, this once-sacred lineage nearly vanished—its rarity a silent echo of forgotten reverence.
Today, NOIR seeks not only to revive this endangered animal but to reawaken its story. Through respectful design, ethical stewardship, and deep cultural collaboration, we return to a time when nature’s gifts were treated with care, and every thread carried meaning.
NOIR
From the rarest of fibers comes the finest of craft. NOIR transforms naturally black alpaca—found in less than 0.07% of Peru’s alpaca herds—into timeless pieces using meticulous, slow-crafted techniques.
Each creation is a celebration of heritage and refinement, blending ancestral skill with modern design.
Undyed, sustainable, and exquisitely soft, black alpaca embodies a new kind of luxury—one that honors rarity, respects the earth, and uplifts the hands that shape it.
