There is no doubt that cashmere is one of the most luxurious and high quality materials on the market. Cashmere clothing and accessories are extremely popular due to their softness, warmth and the fact that they can last you a lifetime if cared for correctly.
Such a coveted material must go through an intense process in order to get to the level of quality it needs to be to craft such garments, refining and perfecting the fibre until it is ready for clothing production.
Pure cashmere is a natural fibre taken from a select few breeds of goat. The fibres are taken from the goats undercoat and are extremely delicate and soft.
The reason cashmere is so warm and insulating is because this undercoat is intended to keep the goats warm when facing the harsh elements in their natural habitats.
Cashmere is collected either through combing, hand plucking or sheering. Cashmere goats are incredibly well cared for due to the delicacy of their coats therefore retrieving the material is a lengthy and time-consuming process to prevent damage.
Once collected the fibres are sorted and graded based on their quality. This is decided by many factors. Long, soft and fine fibres are considered the best quality and certain colours are more sought after than others.
The finest fibres are reserved for high end clothing lines, however the rest are not wasted and go on to be crafted into more everyday clothing.
After collection and sorting, the fibres are then spun into spools ready to be used to create clothing. They are wound and spun together tightly to achieve the desired thickness and length of thread needed to create scarves, jumpers, hats and coats.
When crafting a garment from cashmere it is important that the material is handled very carefully to ensure it remains in the best quality for the eventual customer.
