Sentaler | The Canadian Maxmara, Specializing in Alpaca Wool Coats for Men and Women

Dec 02, 2024

Last week, I visited Lane Crawford and discovered Sentaler, the third brand I’ve encountered after Doen and Lauren Manoogian, both brands focused on high-quality alpaca wool made in Peru.

Sentaler is even more focused on coats than Lauren Manoogian. The brand is favored by the British royal family’s two princesses and the Canadian Prime Minister’s wife, which reflects its more mature and polished designs.

There are only two types of fabric used: one consists of 70% alpaca wool and 30% sheep wool, with the alpaca being a blend of baby alpaca and suri alpaca. The other fabric blend is 40% Suri Alpaca, 55% Wool, and 5% Nylon, which is used to create the boucle alpaca wool technique. You can read more about this boucle technique in Lisa Yang

The brand’s positioning is higher-end compared to the other two brands, but alpaca wool is generally more affordable than cashmere. As a result, the prices for their coats range from 12,000 to 22,000 RMB. Lane Crawford’s prices are about 4,000 RMB higher than those on the official website.

However, when I touched the coats in person, I found that while the alpaca wool was of decent quality, the Sentaler coats at Lane Crawford were generally quite thin—thinner than typical cashmere coats. Alpaca wool coats aren’t as smooth as cashmere, but they don’t irritate the skin. Instead, they have a more textured feel, like a cashmere sweater that has been worn for a long time and is starting to pill, though they lack the fine delicacy of cashmere.

Sentaler is often referred to as the "Canadian Maxmara" because the designs resemble each other, with both brands exclusively focusing on coats. One of Sentaler’s most distinctive design features is the ribbed cuffs.

The ribbed design also extends to the scarf, waist tie, and hat.

Story

Sentaler was founded by Bojana Sentalera in 2009. Bojana was born in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and immigrated to Canada at the age of eight.

She was excellent at math as a child and loved to sketch fashion designs in her spare time. She studied market finance in university and, after graduating, worked as an analyst at a Fortune 500 cosmetics company. She soon realized that the rigid structure of large companies stifled her creativity. Later, she moved to Dubai to work on economic investment reports for the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. During an interview, she met Karl Lagerfeld, who was designing mansions for Dubai’s wealthy at the time. Lagerfeld encouraged her to pursue a career in fashion.

To digress for a moment, I’ve noticed that many North American women who are both well-rounded and ambitious often have a tough exterior. Bojana Sentalera is one such example, along with Paris Hilton. However, the real personalities of these women might be very different from the tough image we perceive.

In 2009, Bojana visited Peru by chance and was captivated by the local alpacas. She spent several months researching different alpaca fabrics. That year, she created seven coats using alpaca wool that embodied her ideal design. She brought these coats back to Canada and founded Sentaler.

From 2013 to 2017, Sentaler gradually gained attention from Hollywood actors and political figures. Between 2017 and 2022, the brand expanded internationally, beyond North America. Currently, Sentaler’s biggest market remains Canada, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom. Some of its major department store distributors include:

Holt Renfrew
Nordstrom
Saks Fifth Avenue
Harvey Nichols (UK)
Le Bon Marché (France)

Lane Crawford is the primary distributor for the brand in China, although the main focus is still on women’s wear.

Pieces

Although the brand offers collections for both men and children, the focus in China is primarily on women's wear, with social media marketing also centered around women's fashion. Sentaler specializes exclusively in coats, with other product categories limited to hats and scarf accessories.

The fabrics used for both men's and women's clothing are limited to just four types, with suri alpaca being more expensive than baby alpaca.

Suri Alpaca: 70% suri alpaca, 30% wool
Baby Alpaca: 70% baby alpaca, 30% wool
Boucle Alpaca: 40% suri alpaca, 55% wool, 5% nylon
Tweed Alpaca: 46% baby alpaca, 29% wool, 25% nylon

Perhaps due to Bojana Sentalera’s strong analytical background, the brand’s fabrics and designs are presented clearly, and the names of the products are based on the fabric and collar type.

Women’s Collection

The women’s collection offers two types of collars: one is a shawl collar (cape-style), and the other is a common notched collar (robe-style). The coats come in medium-length and full-length options, with each design available in 2–3 fabric variations.

Notched Collar

There are four styles, with the fabrics becoming thinner and the prices lower as you go down the list:

Suri Alpaca Maxi Notched Collar Wrap Coat – 22,000 RMB, 70% suri alpaca, 30% wool, thickened fabric, available in 6 colors. This is the heaviest and most luxurious option in Sentaler’s collection, with an oversized notched collar for added elegance and a rich sheen.

Boucle Alpaca Notched Collar Wrap Coat – 17,000 RMB, medium-weight fabric, available in 8 colors. A best-seller.

Baby Alpaca Notched Collar Wrap Coat – 16,000 RMB, thinner fabric, with a thinner collar, available in 6 colors. Slightly shorter than the previous versions.

Baby Alpaca Mid-Length Large Notched Collar Wrap Coat – 13,000 RMB, with a wider collar and a medium-length cut, available in 3 colors.

Shawl Collar Style

The shawl collar also comes in four styles, with an additional cape version:

Boucle Alpaca Maxi Wide Shawl Collar Wrap Coat – 19,000 RMB. This version features an oversized shawl collar made from boucle alpaca (a towel-like texture). The fabric composition is 40% suri alpaca, 55% wool, and 5% nylon. Currently, it is only available in blue and is the most expensive shawl collar style. However, it has lower sales and a thinner fabric compared to the 22,000 RMB maxi notched collar.

Suri Alpaca Long Shawl Collar Wrap Coat – 18,000 RMB, available in 6 colors. This is slightly shorter than the 19,000 RMB boucle version, and the collar is not as large.

Baby Alpaca Long Shawl Collar Wrap Coat – 15,000 RMB, available in 8 colors. A best-seller, made from thinner fabric.

Baby Alpaca Mid-Length Shawl Collar Wrap Coat – 13,000 RMB, available in 8 colors. This is a mid-length version made from the same fabric as the previous long shawl collar coat.

Baby Alpaca Cape with Shawl Collar and Belt – 12,000 RMB, 70% baby alpaca, 30% wool, a medium-length coat with thinner fabric. Available in 6 colors.

Special Edition

Tweed alpaca fabric styles are rare, and like boucle, they are newly developed fabrics that are not yet the brand's main offering.

Tweed Suri Alpaca Empire Waist A-Line Coat, composed of 46% Baby Alpaca, 29% Wool, and 25% Nylon. Sentaler primarily uses this fabric for houndstooth and plaid patterns. Priced at 15,000, currently available in only 2 colors.

Bouclé Alpaca Dropped Shoulder Aviator Jacket - a textured fabric dropped shoulder jacket priced at 14,000, available in 4 colors.

Bouclé Alpaca Moto Jacket With Signature Double Collar - a short textured fabric moto jacket priced at 12,000, available in 5 colors.

Baby Alpaca Mid Length Hooded Wrap Coat - a mid-length hooded coat priced at 13,000, available in 7 colors.

Men’s Collection

The men’s collection offers only a few alpaca wool coat styles, with only three designs listed on the official website. The overall style leans towards a more opulent, "luxury" aesthetic.

Bouclé Alpaca Double Collar Topcoat – One of the most expensive pieces in Sentaler's men's collection, priced at 16,000 CNY. This coat features a boucle towel-like texture, made from 40% suri alpaca, 55% wool, and 5% nylon (the same composition used in all Sentaler boucle alpaca fabrics). The design is relatively standard, somewhat bulky, and the men's model is not particularly flattering.

Suri Alpaca Notched Lapel Overcoat – Also priced at 16,000 CNY, this is one of the most popular and signature coats in Sentaler’s men's collection. Made from 70% suri alpaca and 30% wool, it comes in 6 color variations.

This Notched Lapel Overcoat is also available in 70% baby alpaca fabric, which is slightly cheaper by 3,000 CNY and comes in 5 colors.

Another representative style is the Bouclé Robe Coat, which uses the same fabric composition as the bouclé alpaca topcoat (40% suri alpaca, 55% wool, 5% nylon). This coat is priced at 18,000 CNY, making it the most expensive and thickest option in Sentaler’s men’s collection. It is available in 6 colors.

It even comes in the rare color of bright red, a bold option for men's coats.

The cheapest men’s coat is a Double Breasted Overcoat made from 70% baby alpaca, priced at 13,000 CNY. The fabric is noticeably thinner.

There is also a baby alpaca jacket made from the same fabric as the previous coat. With a thicker design, it is priced at 15,000 CNY and is a new arrival. Currently, it is available only in black.

Postscript

Alpaca wool has only recently emerged in the Chinese market in the past 2–3 years, and its overall recognition is still limited. Those familiar with the fabric know that alpaca wool is cheaper than cashmere, which has caused a portion of the consumer base to shift towards alpaca wool coats.

Since the production of alpaca wool primarily takes place in Peru, most of the leading alpaca wool designers are based in the United States. In the European and Chinese markets, wool and cashmere are still the dominant fabrics. However, yak wool has become a uniquely Chinese fabric, and domestic brands have started incorporating it into their designs. Despite its rising popularity, the maturity of yak wool still lags behind cashmere. It remains to be seen whether a "yak wool" brand will emerge in China in the future.