The Timeless Craft of Frazadas

A frazada is a handwoven wool blanket from the Peruvian Andes — thick, warm, and built for actual use. In highland communities, frazadas were everyday objects: thrown over beds, used as wraps, stacked against the cold at altitude. The weave is tight, the wool is heavy, and the colours — drawn from natural dyes — don't fade with wear. That's the origin of every frazada in the Orange Inca collection.

Where frazadas come from

The women who make frazadas live in remote Aymara and Quechua communities in the Peruvian Andes, at altitudes around 3,500 metres above sea level. The process starts with shearing and hand-spinning the wool, then dyeing it using pigments derived from plants, seeds, and minerals — the same sources Andean weavers have used for centuries. The colours you see in each piece — the terracottas, soft pinks, deep greens, natural creams — come directly from the land around them.

How they're made

Once the wool is dyed, it's woven on traditional backstrap looms — a technique unchanged for centuries. Each frazada takes between four and six weeks to complete. The patterns are the weaver's own: passed down through family lines, refined through years of practice, unique to each piece. No two frazadas are identical, and the variation in pattern and colour is part of what makes them worth keeping.

Living with a frazada

Frazadas are built to be used. In an Australian home, they work as throws over a sofa or bed, as rugs in a living area or on a deck, as wall hangings that hold their colour in natural light, and as tablecloths for gatherings where the setting matters. The weave is heavy enough to lie flat as a rug without slipping, and warm enough to be useful through autumn and winter rather than decorative only.

The Orange Inca frazada collection

Every frazada in the collection is sourced directly from Andean weavers. The range includes full-size throws, smaller accent pieces, and frazada cushion covers — each one handwoven, naturally dyed, and finished with the pom-pom fringe that's become the signature of the style. Explore the full frazada collection.

Caring for your frazada

Dry clean to maintain the colours and the structure of the weave. For small spills, spot clean with a gentle touch and allow to air dry. Stored flat or loosely rolled, a frazada will hold its shape and colour for years.