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"Please, Wirecutter, I literally can't sleep until I learn why cashmere is so expensive" —no one at 10 pm on a Tuesday, as far as we can tell
Rest easy, dear reader: here's why cashmere remains an expensive commodity
https://wrctr.co/3ajR44j
Rest easy, dear reader: here's why cashmere remains an expensive commodity
https://wrctr.co/3ajR44j
The quality & cost depends on many factors, but they mainly boil down to a combination of 2 things:
• the length and fineness of the goat’s fleece
and
• the skill and precision with which it’s collected
• the length and fineness of the goat’s fleece
and
• the skill and precision with which it’s collected
The general belief is that the best cashmere for sweaters comes from Inner Mongolia & parts of China.
Why:
Alpine goats of the region survive in a harsh high-altitude landscape & subsist on meager diets while enduring frigid winter temperatures.
Why:
Alpine goats of the region survive in a harsh high-altitude landscape & subsist on meager diets while enduring frigid winter temperatures.
Thus, those goats have evolved to grow a double fleece of coarse wool on top & a dense cloud of fine, soft hairs underneath.
This coat keeps the cold out & warmth in so they can survive the conditions.
(If you've ever groomed a
or 
, you’ve likely noticed a similar combo.)
This coat keeps the cold out & warmth in so they can survive the conditions.
(If you've ever groomed a
or , you’ve likely noticed a similar combo.)
The most expensive & desirable cashmere hair is meticulously hand combed or carefully sheared from the goats in the spring when they shed their coats.
Skilled processors are able to retain the longest hairs, which can be tightly woven into stronger yarn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=525&v=UbEh1Q8xgtQ&feature=youtu.be
Skilled processors are able to retain the longest hairs, which can be tightly woven into stronger yarn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=525&v=UbEh1Q8xgtQ&feature=youtu.be
About 15,000 to 20,000 tons of cashmere are produced every year.
But after the scouring & dehairing process, the pure cashmere makes up just a fraction of that amount: 6,500 tons.
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/CBD_FiberFacts_Cashmere.pdf
But after the scouring & dehairing process, the pure cashmere makes up just a fraction of that amount: 6,500 tons.
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/CBD_FiberFacts_Cashmere.pdf
Factor that in with:
• the massive 1.08 million metric tons of wool that’s produced in the same period
• a growing global appetite for luxury goods
And you understand why cashmere remains an expensive commodity.
https://textileexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Textile-Exchange_Preferred-Fiber-Material-Market-Report_2019.pdf
• the massive 1.08 million metric tons of wool that’s produced in the same period
• a growing global appetite for luxury goods
And you understand why cashmere remains an expensive commodity.
https://textileexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Textile-Exchange_Preferred-Fiber-Material-Market-Report_2019.pdf
Still, cashmere has become much more accessible & affordable in the past decade.
This can almost entirely be attributed to China’s efforts to produce more of it w/ an increase in the sizes of goat herds grazing on the plains & an orchestrated surge in processing capacity
This can almost entirely be attributed to China’s efforts to produce more of it w/ an increase in the sizes of goat herds grazing on the plains & an orchestrated surge in processing capacity
But high-quality long-fiber cashmere remains scarce as heritage/luxury brands buy up the majority of it.
The yarn spun from shorter & broken cashmere filters down into the mass market, though sometimes higher-priced fashion brands use it too, so you can’t rely on price = quality
The yarn spun from shorter & broken cashmere filters down into the mass market, though sometimes higher-priced fashion brands use it too, so you can’t rely on price = quality
"But Wirecutter, what about once-revered Scottish cashmere?"
According to an expert: “the best cashmere sweaters came from Scotland prior to the 1990s,” but the industry has become a victim of globalization, & most remaining Scottish companies now operate as brands in name only.
According to an expert: “the best cashmere sweaters came from Scotland prior to the 1990s,” but the industry has become a victim of globalization, & most remaining Scottish companies now operate as brands in name only.
"So wait, let's backtrack a bit: how does understanding the cashmere sweater-making process help *me*?"
Another great question, rhetorical asker. Here are a few tips when buying a cashmere sweater: https://wrctr.co/3agMmo8
Another great question, rhetorical asker. Here are a few tips when buying a cashmere sweater: https://wrctr.co/3agMmo8
Touch alone can be an inaccurate means of picking out a high-quality cashmere sweater.
• Some of the best cashmere doesn’t feel supernaturally soft, as it retains a natural firmness reflective of longer fibers (they’ll become softer & wear & time
• Some of the best cashmere doesn’t feel supernaturally soft, as it retains a natural firmness reflective of longer fibers (they’ll become softer & wear & time
• Instead, look closely:
If you see a lot of stray, fuzzy fibers sticking up from the surface of the weave, it may indicate lower-quality, shorter-length fibers, which are prone to pilling, stretching, & tearing (but pilling is inevitable for even the highest-quality cashmere)
If you see a lot of stray, fuzzy fibers sticking up from the surface of the weave, it may indicate lower-quality, shorter-length fibers, which are prone to pilling, stretching, & tearing (but pilling is inevitable for even the highest-quality cashmere)
Lower-quality cashmere often feels extraordinarily soft, sometimes even mushy to the touch.
• What that means: it typically indicates the maker has overwashed or treated the fibers with chemicals to soften them.
• What that means: it typically indicates the maker has overwashed or treated the fibers with chemicals to soften them.
Another giveaway: If your fingers feel slippery after touching the cashmere, it's likely been processed or treated
You can also do some hands-on testing at the store (or at home) by gently pulling on a section of a sweater’s arm—if the knit remains too stretched out, avoid it.
You can also do some hands-on testing at the store (or at home) by gently pulling on a section of a sweater’s arm—if the knit remains too stretched out, avoid it.
^ Maybe be selective with how often you use this method on cashmere sweaters at a store https://wrctr.co/3agMmo8
In conclusion: that’s why an Alpine goat’s long, thin hairs come into play when you gently pull on a store’s cashmere sweaters.
Ending this thread on this tweet to confuse anyone who didn’t read it.
Ending this thread on this tweet to confuse anyone who didn’t read it.
