- The name “cashmere” comes from the old spelling of a region in India which was named Kashmir. This area was full of goats producing cashmere to protect themselves from the very cold temperature there (-40°). Cashmere has a thousand years history (storia millenaria), initially produced just in the Kashmir region but, along the centuries, also in other Asian countries and Europe.
- Cashmere is perfect for children as their skin is delicate. Indeed, this fabric misses of lanolin so that it is hypoallergenic, not causing irritation or allergies to kids’ skin.
- Most of us (wrongly) consider cashmere as a warm fabric, perfect for fall and winter seasons. Actually, cashmere is not only soft and wrapping, but it also has isothermal properties. It absorbs and releases water vapor and it is inherently breathable. These characteristics make possible to wear this fabric 365 days as it is a natural termo-regulator so that you never get too hot or too cold.
- The “cashmere” goat produces 100 to 200 grams of cashmere, so that it is necessary to use around 4 goats to produce a jumper in cashmere. On the other hand, 1 sheep is enough to get 5 jumpers in wool. This shows how much is importance for our society to find sustainable ways to produce cashmere products as the “virgin” cashmere implies an over-usage of animals.
- It could be said that cashmere has an infinite cycle of life. Not only, high quality cashmere gets even better and softer over the years and does not get ruined if washed as many other fabrics. It’s better to wash it by hands, also with baby shampooing, to further favor the softness of this fabric. Why’s that? Cashmere can be compared to humans’ hair and it gets fluffier and more luscious when washed.
- There are some tricks to better take care of cashmere. One example is to not wear a cashmere product, like a jumper, for two days in a row as it is better to let it rest, and take fresh air, for a day before wearing it another time. You should also pay attention to not hang it by “shoulders” as there is a higher risk that it loses its shape.
- Cashmere and movies. There is a movie, a trilogy actually, about cashmere. It is named “Cashmere – The origin of a secret”, by Luc Jaquet (on the suggestion of Loro Piana) which brings us to the lands in which cashmere had its origin. Cashmere had always been linked to movies. For example, Olivia Pope, in Scandal, always wears nightgowns in cashmere just for herself, to feel elegant in every moment.
- There are very popular and known factories working with cashmere to transform it in clothes also in Europe, in particular in Italy and Scotland. The oldest factory, still producing cashmere induments, was founded more than two centuries ago (1797) and it is located in Scotland, in the city of Elgin.
- Cashmere, when high quality, is always composed by 2 twines (FILI RITORTI). How to recognize high quality cashmere? There is a scale based on the microns of the fabric. The longer and thinner is the fabric, the higher quality the cashmere is, and you can get an idea thanks to its softness. Grade A fibers, for example, is the longest and thinnest (the diameter goes from 14 to 15.5 microns. Another sign of quality (in this case of low quality) is the presence of pilly (PELUCCHI).
- Cashmere has always been recognized, also in the past centuries, as a “status fabric” which only wealthy and important people could afford. Bain&Co made a research on cashmere products and they found out that cashmere makes up $4 billion of the $60 billion luxury market, showing that there is no doubt about the demand for this fabric which is, actually, increasing highlighting the need of finding sustainable ways to produce clothes with it.
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