Cashmere is one of the most precious and valuable natural products. It has a smooth, silken feel, is gentle and luxurious to the touch, and is characterized by its fine, soft fibres.

Excellent-quality cashmere is expensive and enjoys an appreciable status, making it highly desirable for use in high-end fashion garments.

It is a renewable and natural resource, providing feather-light warmth without bulk.

It is a delight to wear against the skin as it tends not to have the “itchy” feel of wool.

Where is cashmere found?

Cashmere goats in the northern hemisphere grow an under layer of fleece from around the summer solstice until the winter solstice, June 21st to December 21st.

This under layer or under down of luxurious cashmere insulates and keeps them warm throughout the freezing winters experienced in their natural environment. Colder weather increases cashmere fibre growth. The top fleece is a much straighter and coarser outer hair which guards the underlying cashmere.These goats are kept in small herds and also found in nomadic herds in China, Iran, Afghanistan and Mongolia.

There are significant differences in the fibre the goats produce which is governed by their geographic location.

Cashmere fluctuates from the premium and most luxurious “white for white” Chinese fibre, to harsher fibre which is more suitable for natural weaving.

The finest cashmere fibre comes from China and is a biological consequence of the goat’s environment.

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When is cashmere collected?

Around April or May, the goat naturally sheds the under down which allows them to stay cooler during the summer months. This natural event allows the cashmere to be captured without any harm to the goat.

To protect the integrity of the fibre and allow commercial recovery, the cashmere is combed from the goat just as the spring moult commences. The under down is combed out from under the coarser outer hair. This is a rare natural harvest and fibre prices are subject to market fluctuations as they are a transacted commodity.

A single goat only provides 200 grams (0,4 lb) of the prized under down. This means that the production of a single large shawl can require the annual yield of two to three goats.

Cashmere fibre is very compliant and easily spins into yarns and light to heavyweight fabrics.

Why is cashmere so expensive?

A Grade cashmere is 14 millionths of a metre (14 microns) thick. It is 34mm-36mm long, with the longer fibres giving better strength for knitting and substantially better garment wear. The finer the cashmere fibre, the more expensive it is, but this slenderness results in the most luxurious softness. Very light “white for white” Chinese cashmere is the scarcest, supreme most expensive cashmere fibre. It is utilized mainly for light pastel colours and white yarn.

Can I find a cheap, good quality cashmere?

With world demand for excellent cashmere and the fact that prices are controlled, cheap 100% pure cashmere is not a reality. Many items being sold as “cashmere” are really a blend of very tiny amount of cashmere and lots of wool. Some cashmere mixes contain as little as 5 % cashmere. This is because, instead of paying for more cashmere, low-end cashmere marketers lower the cashmere content on their products rather than raising prices.

CASHMERE IN CHINA

China is the world's leading producer of de-haired cashmere and cashmere finished products, accounting for about 70 percent of the world's output. The raw material resources and processing capacity in China dwarfs that of any other country. In the early 2000s, China was home to more than 60 million cashmere-producing goats. They produced 20,000 tons of cashmere annually.

It's great advantage that we can select the best brands using the best cashmere yarns from origin directly in China.

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