Their office is a glass door on an upper floor of a nondescript building in the Miraflores district of Lima. Once inside, you’re surrounded by an abundance of textures and colors. Some are folded on shelves like library books. Others are draped flamboyantly under spotlights. Though everything you see is, in truth, a flat rectangle, there’s a feeling of lushness and complexity in the colors and designs. Twills, plain weaves, checks and stripes; this empire of woven goods is Tivoli’s world, and has been for over a century.

Owned by: TIVOLI ULDSPINDERI
Location: LIMA, PERU
Craft: DESIGN AND WEAVING
Years of Relationship: 1 Founded in 1897
SUPER POWER: EXPERIENCE
HOW WE MET:

We are fortunate to receive emails from potential suppliers from around the world. It took us two years to actually respond and set up a meeting in Lima, and as soon as we set foot in their office, we wished we had done it sooner. There we met Mariela and Osvaldo, who had moved to Lima from the alpaca stronghold of Arequipa to run the Peruvian office

TIVOLI’S STORY:

Tivoli Uldspinderi is a century-old family-run company from a small town in Denmark- the polar opposite of the rapid sunny streets of Lima. Food, climate, culture and general level of chaos are worlds apart. But if you are looking for one of the most exclusive luxury fibers in the world, baby alpaca, Lima is the place to be. Long a manufacturer of blankets, shawls and scarves, Tivoli is leveraging their century of experience to produce perfect baby alpaca scarves and throws with a Danish attention to quality and design.

THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT ON THE LAST TRIP: THE TIVOLI STORY, LIFE IN LIMA VS AREQUIPA, DETAILS OF PRICING AND DELIVERY, LIMA RESTAURANTS.

THE CRAFT: WEAVING

Peru is filled with weavers making alpaca scarves, and to stand out in this competitive market, there are scores of little details that have to be right. The cloth must be washed just the right amount to soften it but not make it fuzzy. Edges must be perfectly cut and finished, and the fringe must be braided at just the right tension. Even sewing on the label has its tricks. Tivoli brings complete focus to every one of these tasks, working with premium quality baby alpaca for a scarf or throw that is exquisitely soft and luxurious.