We recommend your garments must be dry washed, machine only in wool cycle or by hand with warm water, using mild soap or shampoo.
Conditioner can be applied after washing to soften the garment, followed by a thorough rinsing. Do not use detergents or bleach. Do not machine wash (only if wool option wash available) Do not iron. Gently press the wet garment to remove water.
Do not wring or squeeze. Hang garments to drain and dry. Steam clean garments. Release steam from an iron positioned half inch above the garment, to remove folds and wrinkles. That garment can be reshaped dependent upon personal preference.
DRY CLEANING
Ensure dry cleaner does not use bleach, detergents, or harsh chemicals. The temperature used must not exceed 60ºC (140ºF). If the item is wrinkled after drying, apply steam from an iron as mentioned in the above Care Instructions, to achieve the desired shape and size. Small balls of wool may appear on the surface of the garment after drying. These can be removed with tape or rollers: simply swipe and remove.
STORAGE
Fold garment on a flat surface prior to storage. It is suggested that the garment be stored on a shelf, and not placed on a hanger for an extended period of time (several months), as this will cause the garment to lose its original form. Do not place the garment inside a plastic bag, as the material must “breathe.” Cool and well-ventilated storage areas are recommended.
WOOL
Many shepherds in the Peruvian Andes benefit from raising alpacas, which are native to the region. They do not need to cut down forests to create pasture, as these animals eat natural grass, called “Hichu,” that grows at altitudes of 4,000 meters above sea level and higher. Trees and other vegetation do not grow here, meaning there is no need to destroy the environment for pasture. Alpacas are not harmed in any way for their wool. They are shorn – just like getting a haircut. This process creates a happy life for alpacas, better incomes for shepherds, and a healthier, cleaner planet.
BUTTONS & ACCESSORIES
The buttons and accessories that we use in our garments are 100% natural. Our buttons are made from the seeds of palm trees in the Amazon Rainforest. Native people from the jungle hand-pick these seeds, and carve them into beautiful shapes and designs to sell. We ask them to produce our buttons as accessories for our collections, creating work them, so that they can use their skills without causing any harm to the environment.
Throughout all of our processes, we always try to minimize the use of artificial products, along with machines that produce smoke and pollute the environment. We believe that producing handmade items generates more jobs, develops local artistic traditions, and brings us back to our native culture and origins. Our handmade garments do not harm local ecosystems, and no animals are harmed during their production. We do not use fur.
CLEAN WORK
To create our handmade collections, our groups of mothers work from home, with no need to go to a factory. They use knitting sticks and weave on looms, manual techniques that don’t employ the use of polluting machines. During our workshops, we encourage them to recycle, and teach their children to help preserve the planet, in order to be examples to their communities.
When each garment is finished, it gets a high-vapor bath to sterilize it. It is then dried and packed for immediate shipping. For more information, please visit IG/miaperu FB/miaperu
