Samantha Holmes A/W’15 Collection: Understatedly Elegant

Lifestyle alpaca brand, Samantha Holmes recently introduced their A/W’15 collection. Understatedly elegant, the new Samantha Holmes collection consists of exclusive, hand-crafted fashion and trendy home accessories, made from luxuriously soft natural fibres such as ethically sourced baby alpaca and bamboo. Each product you will find is designed in Scotland and made by skilled artisans in Peru using traditional methods. The Samantha Holmes label is one of the longest established alpaca lifestyle brands within the UK. Samantha found her first inspiration for luxury fabrics and traditional craftsmanship in Nepal from where she imported cashmere from a small hand weaving cooperative, however it was on discovering alpaca, that she found her niche.

Historically known as the ‘Gold of the Incas’, Alpaca fleece was treasured by the Inca Royal family. 500 years on, the signature yarn combines fine micron baby alpaca with a small proportion of bamboo fibre. This unique combination creates a strong, supple and lustrous yarn which can be worn by even the most sensitive of skins. Hypoallergenic and ecological, it drapes exquisitely, washes beautifully and has a distinct buttery softness. It improves with wear and does not pill or ‘bobble’ like other natural fibres can and due to the synergy of alpaca with bamboo it is uniquely insulating in winter but also breathable and cool in summer. The fur used is from alpaca that have died of natural causes – baby alpacas – or ‘cria’, as they are known. The younger, weaker animals often perish in the harsh Andean winter and are never killed purely for their fur. Samantha is committed to fair trade and travels to Peru every year to ensure her workers are fairly remunerated and working in good conditions.

Bailey Moss

Click here to visit the Samantha Holmes website to view more from the collection.