Cashmere wool
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Cashmere wool is wool obtained from the Cashmere goat. The name derives from an archaic spelling of Kashmir. It is sometimes incorrectly applied to any extremely soft wool, similar to Champagne being used to describe any sparkling wine.
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[edit] Classification
Cashmere wool is classified as a specialty hair fibre. In order for goat fiber to be considered cashmere, it must be at least 3.175 centimeters long and have under 18.5 micrometers. It also must be lusterless light and downy with a fine crimp.
[edit] Primary uses
Cashmere is used in men's and women's clothing. One of its most notable applications is the highly regarded cashmere sweater. It is also commonly used in blankets.
[edit] General characteristics
Cashmere is characterized as luxuriously soft, with high napability and loft. As mentioned before, in order for a natural goat fiber to be considered Cashmere, it must be under 18.5 micrometers and be at least 3.175 centimeters long. It is noted as providing a natural light-weight insulation without bulk. Fibres are highly adaptable and are easily constructed into fine or thick yarns, and light to heavy-weight fabrics. Appropriate for all climates, a high moisture content allows insulation properties to change with the relative humidity in the air. The finest fibres are gathered from the underbelly, shoulder or neck of the Cashmere goat, although most of the cashmere comes off of the sides of the goat's body from the head to the tail.
[edit] Natural colours
The colors come in different ranges of Gray, brown and white.
[edit] Source of the fibre
The Cashmere (Kashmir) or down goat is the source of the wool that becomes cashmere fibre for clothing and other textile articles. The goat (Capra hircus Laniger) is a mammal belonging to the subfamily Caprinae of the family Bovidae. The goats produce a double fleece consisting of the fine, soft undercoat or underdown of hair commingled with a straighter and much coarser outer coating of hair called guard hair. In order for the fine under down to be sold and processed further, it must first be de-haired. De-hairing is a mechanical process that separates the coarse hairs from the fine hair and after de-hairing the resulting "cashmere" is ready to be dyed to colour and converted into yarn, fabrics and garments.
[edit] Geographic origin
The goats reside predominantly in the high plateaus of Asia with the most significant populations being found in the northwestern provinces of China (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Qinghai and Tibet), Mongolia, Iran (Kerman and Khorasan provinces) and Pakistan and even parts of Afghanistan. Many nations in that area rely on cashmere as a luxury product that is exportable for high profit, including the significant supplier countries: China and Mongolia.
Today, little is supplied by the disputed Kashmir State of India , from which its name is derived. The cashmere products of this area first attracted the attention of Europeans in the early 1800s.
[edit] Gathering process
Specialty animal hair fibres including cashmere are collected during the spring molting season when the animals naturally shed their winter coat. Depending on the weather and the region, the goats (in the Northern Hemisphere) molt over a period beginning as early as March and as late as May. In China and Mongolia, the commingled mass of down and coarse hair is removed by hand with a coarse comb that pulls tufts of fibre from the animal as the comb is raked through the fleece. The long, coarse guard hair is then typically clipped from the animal and is often used for brushes, interlinings as well as other non-apparel uses. As a result of this combing process, the collected fibre has a higher yield of pure cashmere after the fibre has been washed and dehaired. Animals in Iran, Afghanistan, New Zealand and Australia are typically shorn of their fleece resulting in a higher coarse hair content and lower pure cashmere yield. In America, however, the most popular method for gathering cashmere from the goat is to comb the goat. The process takes up to two weeks but, with a trained eye for when the fiber is releasing, sometimes it is possible to comb the fibers out in about a week.
[edit] Production
China is the largest producer of raw cashmere and current estimates of production put their annual clip at approximately 10,000 metric tons. Mongolia produces somewhat more than 3,000 tons annually with Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, India and Central Asian Republics producing significant but lesser amounts. In total the annual world clip is estimated to be in excess of 15,000 but less than 20,000 tons. After the natural animal grease, accumulated dirt and coarse hairs have been removed from the fleece creating "pure cashmere" it is estimated the refined quantity is only about 6,500 tons. Pure cashmere then can be dyed and spun into yarns and knit into jumpers, hats, gloves, socks and other apparel items or woven into fabrics then cut and assembled into garments such as outer coats, jackets, pants, scarves, blankets and other highly luxurious and desirable items. Fabric and garment producers in Italy, Scotland, England and Japan have long been known as market leaders in cashmere although recent trends have seen a growing production from countries that actually produce the fiber like China and Mongolia.
The famous Johnstons of Elgin began cashmere weaving in 1797 and are the eldest cashmere mill still in use today.
[edit] Annual yield
Up to 500 grams of fibre per goat, with an average 150 grams of underdown.
[edit] High Quality Cashmere Manufacturing
From the High Himalayas to High Fashion is the story of Cashmere goats hair, but along the way other processes come into play, not least the manufacturers located for many years in the Scottish Borders.
Despite the marketing of some retailers in the UK about the origins of cashmere products the Central Scottish Borders (in particular the town of Hawick) were the original manufacturers of fine Cashmere knitwear and accessories. The expertise developed in the Scottish Borders and travelled East, the marketing of some retailers incorrectly suggests the opposite is true. The Scottish Borders Cashmere industry has many decades of additional expertise. By contrast far east manufacturing (as of 2006) is in its infancy relying heavily on replication, not only of manufacturing techniques and machinery but also the copying of prior seasons garment design.
Many Italian designers use Cashmere as raw material in their high quality apperal product. Famous brand name including Loro Piana, Sona, Brunello Cucinelli, Bello Cashmere, Lanificio Luigi etc. The designer collection of these fine collection are essential collector item series.
[edit] Types of fibre
- Virgin — New fibre that has not been processed in any way, or has been made into yarns, fabrics or garments for the first time.
- Recycled — Fibres reclaimed from scraps or fabrics that were previously woven or felted and may or may not have been used by the consumer.
- Raw — Fiber that has not been processed and is esentially straight from the animal.
- Processed — Fiber that has been through the processes of de-hairing, washing, carding, and is ready to either spin or to knit/crochet/weave.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Categories: NPOV disputes | Textiles | Animal hair products | Knitting | Fashion | Goats | Fibers
