Our Cashmere
OUR CASHMERE
All of our cashmere is certified and sourced from the semi wild cashmere goats living and thriving in the cold region of Mongolia. The high and dry plateau surrounding the Gobi Desert of Mongolia produces the best quality of cashmere due to the vast temperature oscillation between summer and winter. The winters can be as cold as -40C and the summers +40C, resulting in the goats producing the warmest cashmere.
there are many natural fabrics out there, what makes cashmere notoriously decadent is its exceptional softness against the skin
The fleece of the goats is combed during the spring molting season, and their hairs cleaned, classified and spun to create cashmere yarns from which our products are woven. The grade of cashmere that we use has the longest and finest fibres that intertwine to create the most durable product with the softest feel.
WHY WE LOVE CASHMERE
Cashmere is a natural fibre that is excellent at wicking moisture away from the skin making it exceptionally comfortable to wear. Small air spaces between the fibres make it warm without weight, providing insulation and airflow to allow the skin to breath whilst feeling sumptuous against your skin. As a natural fabric, it can also be reunited with the earth, or recycled with ease.
Yet there are many natural fabrics out there, what makes cashmere notoriously decadent is its exceptional softness against the skin. Under a microscope you can see the smooth end of cashmere that create this softness. The finer the cashmere the smoother the ends, meaning there is less friction against the skin
current threat of desertification in Mongolia due to excessive land grazing directly attributed from virgin cashmere
VIRGIN VS RECYCLED CASHMERE
Whilst recycled cashmere is more sustainable, we choose to use virgin cashmere for its superior quality and finish. Recycled cashmere has shorter fibres and when intertwined they have reduced durability and softness given the recycling process.
You will also experience this in lower grades of cashmere hence there can be big price variations in cashmere garments, especially if you are comparing to high street quality cashmere. Ultimately unless a brand is transparent with their cashmere quality and provenance, the feel and price will be the other indicators for you to be able to gauge this.
DESERTIFICATION
We understand that there is a real and current threat of desertification in Mongolia due to excessive land grazing directly attributed from virgin cashmere. Unfortunately, cashmere goats cause a lot of damage to the land when they graze, and high demands for cashmere has resulted in more goats grazing then ever before, with no opportunity for the land to recover.
Goats rip out grasses and plants from their roots when they graze, preventing regrowth whilst causing disturbance and damage to the land with their hard hoofs. This, combined with high demand for cashmere is causing a real threat of desertification in Mongolia.
This is why we encourage you to explore our baby alpaca scarves as we transition more of our items into this enchanting, soft and sustainable fibre.