Our story at a GLIMPSE
ARMS OF ANDES
We are a brother and a sister brought up in a Peruvian household in USA. Since we were kids, our parents would take us to their country and teach us about our history. Inspired by our Inca ancestors' sustainable lifestyle, we use their biodegradable fibers, alpaca wool, and created an outdoor brand.
OUR STORY
We are a brother and sister brought up in a Peruvian household in Los Angeles, CA. Our mother came from a farm in the Northern Highlands of Peru. Our father is from a small town in the Central Part of Peru. Since kids, we visited our parents’ beautiful country every year for months. We loved discovering the the miracles of Machu Picchu and learning the ancient history of our ancestors.
Our mother would bring us to her old farmland where we would farm the animals and wash our clothes by the river. Each time we flew back to the States, we felt closer to nature than before we left. Inspired by the sustainable lifestyle our mother grew up with, we wanted to bring the sustainable part of Peru back with us.
We wondered how the hunters and gatherers lived in such cold climates at such high altitudes. How did they manage to have enough resources for their civilizations?
Our answers lied with our ancestors. Starting from 5000 years ago, Peru has one of the oldest civilizations: The Inca Empire. They developed the widest population by mastering engineering, creating cities, and domesticating animals and plants. And with a sustainable approach, the Incas made their goods long lasting and durable. Their renewable method led to enough resources to support their massive civilization. Our idea is to use the Inca's sustainable method and adapt to our modern day society.
In 2018, we travelled and moved across the globe. Having settled in the States, the Netherlands and Peru, we came to the conclusion there was a gap. There was a gap between the world and the Andean people. We developed Arms of Andes as the bridge for that gap. We started by connecting this unique, superior functional wool into an item that modern day explorers would cherish and need on their wild adventures. We studied the beneficial properties our nature’s fiber had and the story behind it.
Arms of Andes established production in Peru to maintain a close grasp of their products’ creation and to spread the story of the Andean people and their beloved animal. After, we then started Arms of Andes in the States and the Netherlands and soon in Asia and Australia.
Being children of the Andes and raised in a modern city, nature has many hidden secrets we forgot we wanted to discover. We created our apparel to be 100% of alpaca wool to bring people back to nature. Plastics are a modern city creation that harm our planet. We designed the wool of alpaca to adapt to modern city lifestyle. We hope you enjoy our story and the fiber of the gods.