The Value of Cashmere

The finest cashmere yarn has always been at the core of MILK Cashmere. It is a fibre that can make an item into a timeless piece that transcends the seasons. To achieve the status of the finest and most luxurious fibre, a lengthy and laborious process takes place, involving many steps and people. In this article we explore step by step why fine cashmere is such a valuable fibre.

The Resource

Unlike most wool, cashmere does not come from a sheep but from the cashmere goat. These goats are found mostly across the Himalayas, where temperatures can drop to 30 degrees Celsius below zero, and living in such a very cold habitat has made them adapt into growing an incredibly thick warm coat. However, it is not the outer hair, the one you can see, that is used to make the fine cashmere yarn we work with, but rather the super soft coat underneath it that is closer to the goat’s skin and which is virgin and untouched by the elements.

How much wool is needed

While a sheep can produce at least 3 kilos of wool each year, a cashmere goat will only give you around 200 grams of fine fibres. While sheep are sheared for their wool, cashmere goat are usually brushed to remove the soft hairs that molt in the Spring. One goat can produce the equivalent of one scarf’s consumption of yarn, but to produce one jumper you may need five or eight goats worth of cashmere. Because of the tiny amount each goat produces and due to the fact that the fibres can only be collected once a year, the supply is very limited, which increases the fibre’s value.

The process behind it

Once you have the pure Cashmere, the processing stage takes a lot of work. The fibres are first dyed to the right colour and aerated to stop them clumping together. The fibres are then carded, a process that detangles and lines up the hairs in thin sheets so that they can be spun into a yarn. The quality of cashmere is graded based on its fineness and length - a high-quality individual cashmere hair can be as thin as 14 micrometers. When it is finally ready, the fibres are spun into yarn and can then be used to make everything from jumpers to scarves.

Skilled handling

If you think of making a cashmere scarf, you will probably think, like most people, it is the simplest product to produce. While that may be true to some extent, it is far from a simple process - there is actually a lot to it. A lot of skilled work is needed to bring a simple scarf to life, let alone more complex garments. It is all about the knowledge of the people, the skills they have built over years and decades of practice, and how they nurture this really delicate fibre through the process.

The properties of the fibre

There is no other fibre in the world like cashmere - there are other high-quality fine fibres, but not as versatile. Cashmere wonderful properties, such as its strength, warmth, softness and versatility, allow us to make everything from superfine and light scarves to thick and very warm jumpers.

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