Spirit of the Andes is a Buckinghamshire-based mail order company, and retailer specializing in alpaca knitwear, Pima cotton clothing and accessories. It is owned by the Cashmere Centre Ltd., the owner the Pearl Company, Tesoro by Design, and James Alexander Clothing.
The company works with clothes designers and knitters in South America to sell their products to the United Kingdom and worldwide.
History The business was founded in 1993 and was based in Nether Burrow in Lancashire, United Kingdom. The retailer had shops around the country:"Jobs lost as luxury clothing retailer collapses", Insider Media Limited, 28 July 2015
Alresford in Hampshire Amersham in Buckinghamshire Bakewell in Derbyshire Bath in Somerset Broadway in Worcestershire"Spirit Of The Andes - Broadway, United Kingdom", United Kingdom Business Directory Edinburgh in Lothian"Spirit Of The Andes, Edinburgh (Victoria Street), Edinburgh Online Farnham in Surrey Hay-on-Wye in Herefordshire Holt in Norfolk Hornby in Lancashire Lavenham in Suffolk Ludlow in Shropshire Oakham in Rutland Prestbury in Cheshire Sherborne in Dorset
On 20 July 2015 the company went into administration with 62 people losing their jobs."Spirit of the Andes collapses after two decades in the trade", Fashion United, 29 July 2015 The brand was bought by Richard Hartley, owner of alpaca and Pima cotton clothing retailer The Alpaca Collection, based in Stratford-upon-Avon."Spirit of the Andes resurrected by new owner", In The Bay, 10 November 2015
Hartley reopened Spirit Of The Andes shops in Bakewell,"Bakewell Luxury Knitwear Business Reopens This Week", Whats On Bakewell, 22 May 2016 Holt"Spirit of the Andes Holt Reopening", Norfolk Places and Hornby"Firefighters and villagers to the rescue as Hornby knitwear shop flooded out on eve of champagne opening", The Westmorland Gazette, 3 December 2015 as well as selling from The Alpaca Collection's headquarters in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The company also had concession shops at House Of Marbles in Bovey Tracey, Devon; the Jinney Ring Craft Centre in Hanbury, Worcestershire,"New to Jinney Ring: Spirit of the Andes", Jinney Ring Craft Centre County Classics in Helmsley and Malton, North Yorkshire, and Asarti in Leiden, the Netherlands."Our Locations - Spirit of the Andes", Spirit Of The Andes
Current
In 2018 Spirit of the Andes was bought by The Cashmere Centre Ltd. due to Richard Hartley retiring. The company continues to sell online and by telephone, producing a brochure twice a year for its Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter Alpaca and Pima Cotton clothing collections."Spirit of the Andes - issuu", Issuu It has a single retail shop unit based next to the company offices located between Buckingham and Milton Keynes."Spirit of the Andes - Retail Shop", Spirit of the Andes Retail Shop
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