Exploring Peruvian Textiles: History, Statistics, and Sustainability

We've all seen the high-quality, colourful fabrics typical of Peru. If you have ever visited this country, you surely remember the Indigenous women of the Andes wearing capes, shawls, hats, and skirts that seemed to display all the colours of the rainbow. Even though Peru may not be considered a key player in the global apparel industry, this country has a rich textile tradition, and it's slowly growing as a world exporter thanks to its focus on sustainability. But let's explore some statistics.

The Peruvian textile industry remains one of the leading sectors in the country, being the third main contributor to the manufacturing gross domestic product, registering a 6.4 share in 2019. In this year, this sector generated approximately 400 thousand direct jobs and 900 thousand indirect jobs, representing 26.2% of the deployed manufacturing population in the country. Most workers in the Peruvian textile industry are women, making up 61.5% of the employees working in this sector, with small businesses - from 1 to 10 workers - dominating the local workforce with 80% of employees working in these companies. 

In 2020, the US was the main exporter of the Peruvian textile and apparel industry, accounting for 50% of the country's total apparel exports. The most common exported products were standard and knitted t-shirts, sweaters, and pullovers (IEES, 2021). But what about home textiles? 

Between 2017 and 2021, Peruvian home textile exports experienced an average yearly increase of 10.5%. The year 2021 was also particularly positive, registering a growth of US $7 million, equal to 36% compared to the previous year. In this period, Peru exported a total of $7,032.8 thousand in home textiles, $5.439 million in linen, $1.361 million in rugs, and $231.8 thousand in curtains. 

In terms of location, most of the country's home textile production exports are concentrated in Lima, the capital. In 2021, this metropolis earned a total of $4.2 million, followed by Arequipa with $1.4 million and Callao with $758.3 thousand. The main global areas importing Peruvian home textiles were North America, followed by South America and Europe (CIEN, 2022). 

Concerning fibres, not surprisingly, Peru is the leading alpaca wool producer worldwide, responsible for 80% of alpaca fibre's global production. This textile is renowned for its high quality and great properties, including extreme softness, ease of weaving, and anti-allergy. Concerning cotton, since the beginning of the 20th century, Peru has produced the unique Pima and Tangüis cotton varieties. Renowned for their extra-long staple length, these types of cotton are durable, soft, and resistant to pilling. While Pima is popular for its distinct shine and hand feel, Tangüis is the perfect choice for manufacturers wanting to mix this material with other synthetic and natural fibres to produce innovative textiles (Perumoda). But is the Peruvian textile and apparel industry sustainable? 

Sustainability in the Peruvian Textile and Apparel Industry

The Peruvian textile and apparel industry is at the forefront of global sustainability. In 2013, PromPerú, the Commission for the Promotion of Peru’s Exports and Tourism, created the Department of Sustainable Trade to promote sustainability practices within the local textile and apparel industry and increase competitiveness in the global market. 

Thanks to this new department, local businesses now have the opportunity to join several programs boosting eco-friendly practices, such as the Good Eco-Efficiency Practices Program, the Circular Economy Program, and the Environmental Footprint Program, just to mention a few (Culturasostenible). Talking about this initiative, Alicia Frohmann, Consultant at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean CEPAL, said: “PromPerú has had a pioneering policy in the Latin American region in promoting inclusive and sustainable trade in recent years.”

Apart from this initiative, Peru ModaDeco, the central commercial platform for the Peruvian export business connecting local companies with international buyers, is now on a mission to make this the most sustainable textile and apparel industry in the world. With over 2.2 billion invested in innovation, this organisation focuses on five main pillars: clean energy, water management, carbon neutrality, clean production, and fair and decent labour. 

By 2030, Peru ModaDeco is planning to boost local clean energy with the use of solar panels and hydroelectric power, apply water reuse and recycling technologies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, focus on circular economy to minimise waste, and create more jobs for locals (Perumoda, 2020). But how old is the Peruvian textile tradition, and how has it evolved through the centuries?

An ancient tradition

Peruvian textile tradition is incredibly old, stretching back thousands of years, with the earliest evidence dating back to 8000 BC. From 900 BC forward, several local populations, from the Chavín to the Paracas, Nasca, and Chimú, kept succeeding each other, painting plain weave cotton fabrics and using vastly diverse textile techniques, including kelim, interlocking, and tapestry. 

Between 1420 and 1532, the Inka took over, becoming experts in this fine art. Characterised by a strong geometrical symbolisation, Inka textiles were either produced via backstrap loom or vertical loom. During this empire, three main fabrics developed. Chusi, a coarse cloth woven mainly used for domestic use, with products such as blankets, sacks, and rugs made from this material, awaska, a thick garment worn by common people and qompi, the finest of all Inka textiles used by the high society. 

Unfortunately, the Peruvian textile production centres were attacked during the Spanish Colonial Era. In this period, local Andean master weavers were suddenly prohibited from practising their ancient art and textile production centres started to reproduce European models, mostly low-quality cloths, to send back to Europe. Despite the coloniser's attempt to destroy this fine art, local weavers managed to keep this tradition alive, continuing to produce high-quality clothes made from alpaca fibres as well as silk and metallic threads. It was during this period that these clothes started to symbolise the indigenous rebellion against the Spanish conquests (CTTC).

Thanks to the resistance of brave Andean master weavers, the ancient Peruvian textile tradition has survived to the present day in all its splendour, drastically influencing today's production.