What was I thinking? As I grappled and gasped for every breathe like a dog after some scooby snacks, I asked myself what exactly I was doing at 4,500 metres high in the Peruvian Andes with two Italians (one of who was Sicilian), two native Andeans, a hoard of wide-eyed journalists and a bunch of funny looking creatures. I'll tell you what … just as soon as I've got my breath back.
Tucked away
Have you ever found yourself haplessly wandering through the Shopping Boulevard at the Emirates Towers wondering if there was anything new, fresh — anything you've never tried before — to hit the Dubai stores?
With a wealth of shops sometimes there can still be something missing. That 12 micron or extra half inch (according to Victoria Beckham — but I doubt she's even heard of this).
Quietly tucked away in the corner of the twin tower's shopping arena — way past the Pucci psychedelic colour melt-down, Sergio Rossi footwear leather-fest and hovering above the moody montage of Bottega Veneta — there lurks something that'sworth flying half way across the globe.
Spider's web
In the two window displays of the store were acrobatically balanced garments: interwoven, suspended and hung to form something like a spider's web.
The colour schemes were neutral tones of brown and beige with a zingy twist of orange on one side and tangy bolt of blue on the other side.
It felt like a sudden rush of seawater onto a silent shore or a dash of fresh citrus in tart tonic.
As I peered into the store the low ceiling and the seductive lighting beckoned. A few pieces caught my eye: rich furs, classy shirts, cosy jumpers and before I manage to leg it in time (happy to just play the window shopper for a change) the sales assistant caught my eye imploring me to enter.
Delicate fibres
The store — nay, the sanctuary — boasted robust wall fixtures, sturdy table display units and a flurry of racks and railings. This store was built to last. And the garments embodied and echoed the discipline of their surroundings.
I flicked through the look-book before getting a closer look and feel.
Cashmere, Merino wool, silk, linen, chinchilla, calfskin, ostrich and, of course, vicuna leapt off the display units as the light softly animated their delicate fibres. Could this be the epitome of luxury?
Highest standards
Earlier, at 11,000 metres as the plane took us back to Lima, I had quizzed 54-year-old Italian Pier Luigi on what his definition of luxury was.
"No compromise," he said without a quiver of doubt in his baritone voice.
"For me, luxury is attained when you employ the highest standards and don't compromise on cost, quality or aesthetics."
And Pier Luigi should know. He's been running a "no compromise" empire with his elder brother Sergio for three decades and today as I survey the simple luxury of this small boutique at the symbolic Emirates Towers there seems to have been no selling out either.
Six generations
The house of Loro Piana, to which Sergio and Pier Luigi belong, has dealt in the luxury goods industry long before either of them were even a twinkle in their great uncle's eye.
Incidentally, it was he — Pietro Loro Piana — who got the ball rolling in the spring of 1924. And for six generations, the company has supplied the finest fibres to their growing list of clientele as well as to other luxury fashion houses.
So what was I doing 4,500 metres up the Andes? Not compromising on getting the raw deal on the most luxurious raw fibre known to man, of which the Loro Piana family are the world's largest manufacturers in terms of fabrics and finished products.
Come high winds and oxygen shortage, those funny looking creatures — that spawn the fleece of the Incas (means lord or royal person in ancient Peruvian language, Quechua) — had to be seen to be believed.
In this unique fashion story, the elegant vicunas play the lead character and designer Loro Piana is the author.
Enigmatic
The nimble and graceful vicunas with their remarkable silky fleece have made their home in the highest regions of western South America long before their discovery dating back to the Inca era.
Centuries later, what was only reserved for a privileged minority of this enigmatic period is now made accessible to many.
Every two years when the vicunas have grown a substantial fleece, they are sheared and the wool is sent off to begin the long, painstaking process of dehairing, spining and weaving to produce the luxurious scarves, jumpers and jackets that make up the Loro Piana line.
Honey nectar
Back in Peru, standing on the golden green mountain, I'm amazed that anything survives at such dizzy heights — let alone something so beautiful and elegant.
The vicunas are herded and gathered by the farmers as they began the ceremony of harvesting their honey nectar.
Vicuna fleece feels like candyfloss, no, it's even more translucent than that — like it's in between your fingertips but it's not.
Trying to describe the texture of vicuna wool is like trying to describe the taste of water. I don't know.
Vicuna stands majestic in a league of its own in terms of lightness, softness, fineness and comfort.
Cashmere has nothing on vicuna (measuring at 12 microns per fibre it beats cashmere's 30 microns per fibre average hands down).
After the shearing, the vicunas are released and are free to roam the mountainous topography they love.
Valuable jewel
In 2006, Pier Luigi Loro Piana, along with one of the company's long-standing board members, Sicilian Adolfo Bottari, are the grateful benefactors of the "fleece of the gods".
Thanks to the partnership and mutual respect of two Andeans, a lawyer and an engineer, they were proud to introduce a valuable jewel in the Loro Piana crown.
On the way back, as we gradually descended down the mountain, relieved to have some more oxygen coursing in and out of our lungs, I thought about the effort and hardship of attaining something of real worth and value. At all costs.
Popular trends
Perhaps that's what made it so luxurious, the fact that it came at such a high price. And not necessarily because you, the consumers, have such a high price tag to pay.
Contrary to today's popular trends where things are dished out and served up within the hour (or your money back), it was refreshing to know that some things have not been compromised.
Did you know?
Vicuna is an animal living in the high Peruvian Andes.
It's a relative of the llama and the alpaca. Vicunas produce small amounts of extremely fine fleece.
The vicuna's fibre is very expensive because the animal's fleece can only be sheared every two to three years.
When knitted, the product of the vicuna's fleece is very soft and warm.
It is understood that the Incas raised vicunas for their wool, and it was against the law for anyone but royalty to wear vicuna garments.
Rare and luxurious animal fibres such as vicuna are characterised by their high quality, particularly in terms of fibre properties: fineness, softness, warmth, lightness and lustre.
The profile
Loro Piana's objective throughout the years has always been to respond effectively to its customer's needs.
These customers include high profile men and women who are sensitive to elegance and quality and not easily influenced by fashion trends.
The Loro Piana customer is constantly searching for timeless quality.
In 1998, by capitalising on the tradition and leadership in fine textile manufacturing, the company decided to pursue a strategy of retail expansion.
Staying true to the company's objective to consolidate the brand at the consumer level and provide its customers with Loro Piana lifestyle garments that exude quality without compromise.
Loro Piana is located in the Shopping Boulevard, Emirates Towers, Dubai.
