Vicuña wool is the most expensive textile in the world. And it’s exceptionally difficult to come by. This ultrasoft material is harvested from its namesake, the elusive vicuña, a cousin to llamas and alpacas. It can only be gathered once every two years, when indigenous communities in the Andes Mountains work with the government and conservation organizations to corral the animals, shear them, and release them back into the wild. Only then can the wool be shipped around the world and made into coats that can cost over $30,000. This shearing process must be delicately executed by skilled experts, so as to keep the vicuña population thriving in their natural habitat. So what does it take to corral the vicuñas? And what makes its wool so expensive? MORE BUSINESS INSIDER VIDEOS: How 7.5 Million Pounds Of Donated Clothes End Up At A Market In Ghana Every Week | World Wide Waste https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ichj0ac3V_Y Why Sea Urchins Are So Expensive | So Expensive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6joZsJpXWM How Beijing Spent Billions More Than The Official Olympic Budget | True Cost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvr2Keh64cQ ------------------------------------------------------ #VicunaWool #SoExpensive #BusinessInsider Business Insider tells you all you need to know about business, finance, tech, retail, and more. Visit us at: https://www.businessinsider.com/ Subscribe: null BI on Facebook: https://read.bi/2xOcEcj BI on Instagram: https://read.bi/2Q2D29T BI on Twitter: https://read.bi/2xCnzGF BI on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/Business_Insider/5319643143 Boot Camp on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/Boot_Camp/3383377771 Why Vicuña Wool Is So Expensive | So Expensive