Weaving is the act of making strong, interlacing distinct threads until they form a unified whole. It seems fitting that Peruvian alpaca artisan, Alfredo Falcon, is a master of creating woven and knitted textiles.
No stranger to life’s challenges, he lived through the devastation of the 1970 Ancash earthquake, a 7.9-magnitude beast and subsequent landslide that toppled buildings, razed villages, killed 70,000 people, and left an entire region reeling from the damage. Out of this wreckage, Alfredo Falcon had to confront a difficult decision: continue his passion for knitting or pursue a more secure job as an accountant. Yet as he punched numbers and reported to an office, his heart wasn’t in it. His love of knitting kept calling him back.
When he took the bold step of setting up a workshop in Huaycan, he knew he needed to dedicate himself with unwavering confidence. Soon, he was creating hats, shawls, and sweaters that delighted customers throughout Peru. He invested in new machines, perfected his craft, expanded his offerings. But the biggest leap came when he encountered Novica. Suddenly, customers all over the world were excited about his creations, woven alpaca ponchos, capes, ruanas, scarves. His designs captured a rich history of the Andean textile tradition combined with modern elegance and style.
Today, as the world adjusts to a new normal under the exigencies of a pandemic, Alfredo Falcon continues to inspire. He provides work to low-income women who work in communal kitchens, and has made it a priority to deliver food to the neediest families in his community.
Much like his preferred medium, alpaca wool, that is versatile, warm, soft, and durable, Alfredo Falcon has learned to weather life’s storms with strength and resilience. |
