Sustainability

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of all Azuaya products. We realise our unique position in ensuring the preservation of a way of life that has existed for centuries and are dedicated to making sure these traditions are kept alive. We source our natural fibres and bespoke finishes from local communities and family-run farms and shops. This way we can ensure that our products are of the highest quality whilst simultaneously making sure our favourite suppliers continue to thrive. Azuaya is also committed to helping preserve the environment and keeping our carbon footprint to a minimum, we achieve this by minimising the use of machines in our production process – even our hats are picked up by horse and cart!

Our Alpaca

All our alpaca wool is hand sheared in the farms surrounding our workshop. The alpacas and lambs from where we garner our wools are free to roam their natural habitat and are sheared only when ready. Alpacas are sheared in the summer and our hand shearing process does not injure or hurt the animals. All of our wool is spun for use in our hand-woven products or combined with the lamb’s wool for our hand knitted products in a local workshop nearby. Alpaca and lamb’s wool have relatively few environmental issues compared to intensively farmed cotton or petrochemical based materials.

Our Panamas

The toquilla straw from which we make our authentic Panamas is cut by hand and transported to our workshop in Cuenca. Our artisans then set about carefully weaving the hats into different grades and styles. There are no machines used in the process and even the blocking is done by hand.

At Azuaya we are set on creating truly timeless designs. Our products are made with unparalleled craftsmanship and will look good from season to season. Longevity comes as standard when you purchase an Azuaya products.