Our Founder: Robert Cramer Kedra
Robert Cramer Kedra didn't set out to start a knitwear brand. His path to Allen Paca started on a trip through South America, where an alpaca sweater from a small artisan market changed the way he thought about what clothing could be — and it's a path that's still rooted, in every sense, in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
From finance to fashion
Before Allen Paca, Robby's career was in corporate finance — spreadsheets, quarterly reports, market forecasts. He still keeps a foot firmly in that world today: alongside running Allen Paca, Robby works as a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®), a career VISTA Today highlighted when it named him a 2025 NextGen Superstar for building a values-driven knitwear brand while continuing to practice as a CFP® (read the feature). It's an unusual pairing on paper, but the same discipline that goes into financial planning shows up in how Allen Paca is run — intentional, transparent, and built for the long term rather than a quick trend.
Finding Allen Paca
The idea for Allen Paca came from that market find in South America — a sweater woven by artisans using techniques passed down for generations. Robby spent years researching alpaca fiber, testing product, and building relationships with fair-trade artisans in Peru before Allen Paca became a real company, launched as a small, West Chester, Pennsylvania-based knitwear brand.
Rooted in West Chester
Robby has lived and worked in and around West Chester for years, and it shows in how the brand shows up locally: Allen Paca sets up at pop-up markets around town throughout the year (see the current Pop-Up Schedule), and Robby stays personally involved with the community beyond the shop, including volunteering with local food drives in the West Chester area. Supporting the community he calls home isn't a side project for him — it's part of why Allen Paca is based here in the first place.
Recognition along the way
Allen Paca Knitwear was named a Best of Philly® 2025 winner in the Socks and Hats category by Philadelphia Magazine, and the Eco-Alpaca Quarter-Zip was featured on PHL17's Positively Philly segment. Read more on the Press & Recognition page.