Last Friday I drove to Denver to see the Suri Strut, a fashion show featuring designs and creations containing at least 50% suri alpaca. The fashion show was part of the Friday evening reception for the annual meeting of the Suri Network, consisting of owners and breeders of suri alpaca. A suri alpaca has the same physiological build as our huacaya alpacas but their fiber is quite different. Suri fiber grows in long dreadlock-like clumps and has a brilliance that is simply unmatched.
I made the trip to support the show’s organizer, Beth Brown, whom I had gotten to know when she organized the The Future of Your Fiber 2014 TxOLAN alpaca show. Beth’s product line, Odelia Signature Alpaca Wear, is beautifully knitted and elegant classic clothing; she also has a very sweet children’s line. I was particularly delighted to see Lannette Freitag, inventor of the FeltLOOM, at the Suri Strut. Lannette had made a felted suri coat and hat. Wonderful to see these American Made garments on these graceful models and the proud designers. There was even a celebrity suri alpaca on the runway, Cody, the Teeny Tiny Alpaca. Where else do you see that?
Fashion shows do not happen by themselves. They take lots of work and advance planning. The designers who attend incur travel costs as well the costs of finalizing garments for the runway. As with every other fashion event I have been part of, it is very hard to get boutique owners and designers to attend these shows and to consider buying these beautiful garments.
It is a work in progress. It is grand to see how fine fiber and creative design come together.
Sandy
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