Living in Peru : your everyday companion

New infant and children's clothing company, Alpima, has recently debuted their fall and winter lines with a collection of stylish wear for young kids. The collection can be found on the recently-launched BabyAlpima.com.

By happenstance, Jose Sierra has become a fashion magnate of sorts that started with a trip to Peru, but turned out to be much more for him.

"I went out to Peru for New Years and I noticed the quality of the alpaca wool they had there," Sierra began. "I fell in love with it. I brought back some samples and that's how we got started."

Sierra's company, Alpima LLC, and its website, www.BabyAlpima.com, showcases what can be done with alpaca and pima cotton. The site has a catalog of well-made, high quality baby, toddler and children's clothes, all of which have been made from the materials that Sierra fell for.

While the site began in October 2008, Sierra immediately had a corresponding fall and winter line to show people, which include long-sleeve body suits for infants, onesies, stylish coats, mock sweaters and hoodies.

The coats and hoodies come in an array of bright colors that would typically conflict with a "fall/winter" look, but are generally attractive to young kids.

"These colors (bright blues, magentas, etc.) stood out on the color wheel," explained Sierra. "We want to liven it up a bit for the kids and the styles and colors in our line are far different than what you would find for any other brand."

The unique attributes of Alpima have resulted in Sierra's line being one of kind and, as is such, he's found a way to explain the virtues of the materials he uses.

"We want to educate people on what alpaca and Pima are," he said. "Some people don't have an idea about the animals or how the wool or cotton is treated, so we set up a blog."

The blog, www.BabyAlpima.net, will serve as an informational guide for all things Alpima, which will also include the planned spring and summer lines that Sierra has planned for early spring 2009.

Though Sierra's Alpima brand is new to the fashion industry, he's certain that through their unique vision and material, they'll be able to stand out from the rest.

"Our designs are practical," he said. "We keep up with the latest styles and we also welcome feedback from customers, parents and grandparents to cater to what the people want as well."

Alpima, LLC. and BabyAlpima.com is operated by Jose Sierra. Alpima's materials come directly from Peru and their baby line is from 0-24 month, while their children's line is from 2 to 7 years.