Commercial cashmere production is very different than traditional, cottage-industry-style production. For thousands of years, nomadic herding peoples have shorn the hair from their goats, combed it, and spun it into fine yarn.
Large-scale cashmere production facilities follow roughly the same processes, but at a much larger scale. First, the goats are allowed to grow full coats of hair. The individual wool fibers are combed into straight lines, and they are carded into light groups of fibers. The carded fibers are fed into a spinning machine, which twists the wool fibers to form yarn.
Depending on the textile products being produced, thinner or thicker yarn may be desired. The yarn is cleaned again, and if dye is desired, it may be applied at this point. In some cases, manufacturers prefer to garment-dye their cashmere items. The finished cashmere yarn is woven into a textile product. Examples of popular cashmere products include scarves, vests, and sweaters. Before the garments leave the facility, they may be treated with flame-retardants or other final treatments.
Keep in mind that wool is naturally flame-resistant. Cashmere fabric is used in a variety of different product applications. For years, cashmere was coveted as one of the best fabrics for intricate dresses and other formal wear adorned by European nobility, and this association with high culture still defines cashmere to this day.
While cashmere wool is significantly more expensive than other types of wool, it is much softer and finer, which makes the wearer feel an immediate sense of comfort and luxury.
Generally, cashmere is easy to work with, which lends this fabric to use in intricate, expensive, and beautiful garments that are designed to impress and dazzle. Wool from cashmere goats is not used in any industrial applications, which means that the entire global cashmere economy is dependent on the production of cashmere garments. By choosing to work with an ethical, natural cashmere producer, you can help encourage the growth of remote economies and the progression of a new fair-trade fabric paradigm.
Cashmere varies widely in price. Wool from cashmere goats that are bred in a megalithic Chinese factory might be low-grade and cheap, but most traditional cashmere producers charge much higher prices.
In the cashmere industry as in most parts of life, you get what you pay for, and traditionally-produced cashmere wool is much softer and better overall than mass-produced cashmere. The grade of cashmere fiber also greatly affects its price. Low-grade cashmere is inexpensive, but high-grade cashmere wool can become incredibly pricey. The higher the grade, the thinner the fibers when it comes to cashmere wool.
Derived from the cashmere goat of the Gobi Desert and Kashmir regions, cashmere wool is very fine and soft but also strong. A close relative of the cashmere goat, the pashmina goat produces fibers so similar to cashmere that these two types of fabric are often lumped together.
Grade C is the roughest grade of cashmere wool. Once the harsh winter is over, and spring has arrived the goats start to naturally shed so they are herded down the mountains by the nomadic goat herdsman. There is a misconception that combing rather than shearing the goats to obtain the hair is a lot kinder to the animal, this is not true. The goats can suffer when being combed by hand as it constantly pulls at their coat and can be quite painful, whereas shearing is quick and painless when done by experienced shearers.
Once they have been sheared the cashmere fibres must be separated by combing out the soft undercoat and separate the guard hair. The longest, finest down is used in knitted cashmere garments and the shorter down in woven cashmere items. The separated guard hairs go into rugs. Fleece is only harvested once a year and a full grown adult buck will yield as much as 2.
Average cashmere percentages are in the 20 percent range of the total fleece. The fleece can be sold to wholesale buyers, or it can be de haired and sold to hand spinners. Always be aware of where your cashmere is from as some of the cheaper cashmere on the market can be a mixture of cashmere and camel hair or sheep's wool. If your cashmere bobbles a lot, it is more likely to be the shorter hairs from goats not reared in the cold climate of Inner Mongolia.
Some manufacturers will promise pure cashmere for a bargain price, and then save on costs by producing a thin, loosely woven garment. A cashmere cardigan shouldn't be so thin it might as well be sheer, and the same goes for socks, which stand to break down with even a little wear the thinner they are.
Natural fibers like cashmere wool will have a corresponding sheen to them, but in the case of cashmere, it should still be rather muted.
If the fabric is very reflective and shiny, there's a chance it's been woven with other types of textiles. This may be intentional as this can provide certain benefits like durability and elasticity, which is what allows some cashmere garments to be machine-washed instead of hand-washed or dry-cleaned, but the care label should reflect that reality clearly.
While the country of origin isn't always indicative of quality, it can be an important factor when taken into consideration with other clues. Mass-produced garments from China can vary greatly in terms of quality even when they're made with properly sourced cashmere wool. As the largest producer of raw cashmere, however, Chinese manufacturers have the ability to source some of the best cashmere wool for more affordable prices than manufacturers in other parts of the world.
Your best bet is to purchase from retailers you trust are sourcing their materials ethically and with an eye for quality. That ultimately comes down to how you care for the cashmere and how you store it when not in use. Cashmere is a finicky fiber that can easily lose its shape or fall prey to clothes moths who love to snack on its natural fiber and the habit that wool has of clinging to body oils and proteins. The seasonal nature of cashmere clothing means it may be more vulnerable to clothes moth infestation than other pieces of your winter wardrobe.
Moths thrive in the dark recesses of long-term storage, so be sure to bring out your cashmere for the occasional once-over and light airing out when not in use. Putting effective clothes moth traps in place greatly helps in eliminating them. Find out more about our odor-free clothes moth traps for your closet here. A thorough cleaning is also necessary before you plan to tuck it away for a few weeks or months.
Although many care labels will insist you dry-clean only, it is safe, and sometimes preferred, to hand-wash cashmere garments and allow them to air-dry carefully. Using a wool-safe detergent will help you avoid stripping the fibers of any natural oils, plus prevent damage and fading dye. Follow our step-by-step guide for washing cashmere at home which also includes tips for remove stains and drying cashmere clothing without losing its shape.
We have developed professional grade solutions including proprietary pheromones, not available from anybody else in the USA, and engineered in Germany to the highest production standards. April 28, Knowing more about how a textile like cashmere came to be associated with luxury can help deepen your appreciation for your own cashmere garments and help you know what to look for when purchasing new ones.
Historical Origins of Cashmere Wool The earliest uses of cashmere wool can be traced back to the Kashmir Valley, a stretch of land nestled between the Pir Panjal Range and the Great Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent.
The Process Behind Manufacturing Cashmere Wool Gathering Gathering wool from the pashmina goat to be spun in cashmere yarn is a time-sensitive and tedious process. Refining Before it can be dyed, spun and woven into garments, cashmere wool must be cleaned.
Spinning The spinning mules are the true workhorses of the wool manufacturer's arsenal. The Fashionable Rise of Luxury Cashmere Garments Although the beauty and utility of cashmere clothing had long enjoyed a lofty position in the fashions of the east, the explosion of commercial trading routes between Asia and Europe in the 18th century opened up a new opportunity for cashmere to be made and sold as a luxury textile for the fashion elite.
What animal does it come from? And does either answer warrant the high cost people will pay for this highly-prized fabric? Instead, it comes from goats. This ultra-soft fiber can be taken from any type of goat, but the finest, most sought-after shearings come from a very specific breed of nomadic goat found, called the cashmere goat, in one particular part of the world. According to The Independent , the production and cultivation of this fabric originally started around the 13th century, in, of all places, the Kashmir region of the Indian subcontinent.
Europeans discovered the fabric in the s and began importing it into Scotland and France. Cashmere is still mostly imported from Asia, though it is often refined in the West before it comes to market. In most cases, cashmere is procured by shearing cashmere goats' soft undercoats — a process that is often done during the winter, causing many goats to freeze to death soon after, according to PETA. The animal organization reports that workers typically use sharp metal combs to shear goats, and that they often hold down goats or tie their legs together to keep them still during the cruel process.
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