Fair Trade Women's Alpaca Wool Knit Poncho, "Huarascaran Night"

"My work is my fascination. I love the beauty in each design and seeing them worn; I love giving my imagination free rein. This is a kind of communication in which I can share my own feelings and also those of a people who help develop each lovely detail. Every day I feel the pleasure of observing how a design is developed, sharing these wonderful moments at my wife's side.

"I was born in the imperial city of Cuzco in 1967. My mother set up a sewing workshop and I grew up amid her designs. I studied in a Catholic school.

"Living with my family in this ambience filled with wonderful experiences resulted, over the years, in my own artistic formation. In Europe, I discovered the fashion world. This strengthened my idea of creating apparel but in a material characteristic of my country. So I decided to work in alpaca wool. I returned to Peru and began offering service on the trains that ran to Machu Picchu.

"I staged my first fashion show aboard the train, using a personage named Ukuko that represented a mythological Andean character. Ukuko is half human and half bear, and he captivated the audience before models displayed my alpaca wool designs. The travelers loved it.

"My hobby has always been to share nature – my childhood when I'd go on trips with my mother. Today, my wife and children have this same interest and respect with values that we form in them day by day. We stress the importance of respecting the earth, of taking care of the planet, and of the beliefs of our forefathers regarding the world.

"Peru is fascinating. We invite you to experience the feel of alpaca wool, legacy of the Incas, of the sun, the wind and the earth, elements that meet the blue Andean sky. We invite you to touch with your hands our beautiful apparel — fine, soft and warm, and to be a part of a noble history, close to us."