Seeking Edge, Fashion Firm
Bets on Rare, Furry Animals
Loro Piana Has Lock
On Soft Vicuña Wool;
New Competitors Loom
By STACY MEICHTRY
The Wall Street Journal
February 21, 2007; Page A1
A few months ago, Pier Luigi Loro Piana, co-owner of the Loro Piana SpA fashion label, climbed the Andean plains to watch a vicuña mating ritual. The vicuña is a goat-size relative of the llama whose fleece is spun into one of the world's most valuable wools. As a farmer wearing a multicolored poncho played a flute, a group of men pushed the heads of two vicuñas together to simulate a kiss. Read more