CASHMERE
CASHMERE
Mongolia, where nomadic culture is part of life rooted in tradition, families of herders move each season to reduce the environmental impact on pasture, to sustain the grasslands and livestock for the herds.
Mongolia is one of the largest producers of Fine Cashmere.
Cashmere comes from the fine, downy, and soft undercoat of Goats, which begins growing on the longest day of the year.
Herders collect the cashmere in the Spring by hand combing it out.
Due to the harsh winters, Goats from Mongolia produce the longest, thinnest, and softest hair.
Longer fibers mean extra softness, lush and higher quality; therefore, most suitable for producing ultra-luxurious products that should last a lifetime!
The most important factor in the quality of cashmere is the length and then fineness of the fibers. Items made with fine long fibers pill less and maintain their shape better and will get better with each wash. Mongolian cashmere fiber is longer than any other country and fluctuate from 40mm to 45mm.
Cashmere is measured in Microns. The diameter of the follicle through a microscope which is measured. In general, the smaller the micron count, the softer is the cashmere. To give you a point of comparison, human hair varies from 40-90 microns. Mongolian cashmere is 16-16.8 microns.
The weather is also a factor. The colder the weather (Mongolian weather can drop to minus 50 Celsius/-58*F), and the longer the days, the longer the goat’s hair is. Mongolian goats can grow between 40-47 mm long hair, producing between 250-300 grams of rough cashmere each season, allowing us to use approximately 70% of it to ensure high quality. It takes about at least 3 goats to craft a sweater!