cashmere
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What is cashmere?
Cashmere is an animal-hair fiber from the downy undercoat of the Kashmir goat, belonging to the specialty hair fibers group. While sometimes the term cashmere is incorrectly applied to soft wools, only the product of the Kashmir goat is true cashmere.
Cashmere is known for its luxurious qualities, such as warmth, soft texture, and elegant draping. The fibers are finer than the best wools, providing a unique texture and comfort. The major producers of cashmere are China, Mongolia, and Iran.
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From which animal is cashmere obtained?
Cashmere is derived from the soft undercoat of the Kashmir goat, a specialty hair fibre. Each goat produces only a few grams to about 0.5 kilogram of cashmere annually. To create a single sweater, the fleece of 4 to 6 goats is required, while an overcoat demands the production of 30 to 40 goats.
The fibre is plucked or combed out by hand during the molting season, and the fleece is cleaned to remove impurities. The amount of coarse hair remaining greatly affects price, with fibre having the lowest hair content commanding the highest price.
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How is cashmere different from regular sheep wool?
Cashmere, derived from the downy undercoat of the Kashmir goat, is a specialty hair fibre, unlike regular sheep wool. Cashmere fibres are finer in diameter than the best wools, with those from China and Mongolia ranging from 14.5 to 16.5 micrometres.
Cashmere is known for its softness, warmth and draping qualities. Though it absorbs and retains moisture like wool, cashmere is weaker than fine wool and more susceptible to damage from strong substances and high temperatures.
The limited supply and labor-intensive harvesting and separation processes contribute to its high cost. A single sweater requires the fleece of 4 to 6 goats, while an overcoat needs the production of 30 to 40 goats.
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How is cashmere collected from goats?
Cashmere is derived from the soft undercoat of the Kashmir goat, also known as pashm or pashmina in Asia. The majority of cashmere fibers are collected by plucking or hand-combing the goat during molting season, though Iranian cashmere is obtained through shearing. Each goat produces only a few grams to about 0.5 kilogram of cashmere annually. It takes the fleeces of four to six goats to make a sweater and the fleeces of 30 to 40 goats to make an overcoat.
After collection, the fleece is cleaned to remove impurities. Then, the coarse hairs are removed through mechanical processes, reducing the final yield by about 50 percent.
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Why is cashmere considered a luxury fiber?
Cashmere is considered a luxury fiber due to its warmth, soft texture, and elegant drape. The rarity of cashmere contributes to its high value, as each Kashmir goat produces only a limited amount of the precious fiber annually. A single sweater requires the fleece of 4 to 6 goats, while an overcoat needs the production of 30 to 40 goats.
The labor-intensive process of obtaining cashmere, which involves meticulous hand-combing or plucking during the molting season, further increases its cost. Additionally, the separation and cleaning processes reduce the final yield by approximately 50 percent.
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What are common uses for cashmere in clothing and textiles?
Cashmere, derived from the downy undercoat of the Kashmir goat, is a luxury fiber known for its softness, warmth, and draping qualities. The fine fibers are used mainly for high-end coat, dress, and suit fabrics, as well as quality knitwear and hosiery.
Because of its delicate nature, cashmere is weaker than other wools and requires careful processing. The fiber is susceptible to damage from strong alkalies and high temperatures. Though typically gray or tan, cashmere can range from white to black, and dark fibers can be bleached for lighter shades. Due to its limited supply and costly processing, cashmere is a luxury fiber, with demand and price influenced by fashion trends.
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cashmere, animal-hair fibre forming the downy undercoat of the Kashmir goat and belonging to the group of textile fibres called specialty hair fibres. Although the word cashmere is sometimes incorrectly applied to extremely soft wools, only the product of the Kashmir goat is true cashmere.
The fibre, known as pashm or pashmina in some parts of Asia, became known for its use in beautiful shawls and other handmade items produced in Kashmir, India. In the early 19th century cashmere shawls reached their greatest popularity, and the shawls of England, France, and the town of Paisley, Scot., were made to imitate the original Kashmir shawls.
The cashmere goat has a protective outer coat of coarse fibre that is 4 to 20 cm (1.5 to 8 inches) in length. The downy undercoat is made up of the fine, soft fibre commonly called cashmere, which ranges from 2.5 to 9 cm (1 to 3.5 inches) long. Most of this down fibre is plucked or combed out by hand during the molting season. Iranian cashmere, however, is obtained by shearing. The annual yield per animal ranges from a few grams to about 0.5 kilogram. A sweater requires the fleece of 4 to 6 goats; an overcoat uses the production of 30 to 40. Some fibre, called pulled cashmere, is taken from the skins of slaughtered animals.
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The fleece is cleaned to remove such impurities as grease and vegetable matter. Coarse hairs are removed by various mechanical dehairing processes that are frequently kept secret by their developers. Processing reduces the final yield by about 50 percent. The amount of coarse hair remaining greatly affects price, with fibre having the lowest hair content commanding the highest price. High-quality cashmere-coating fabrics usually contain less than 5 percent of the coarse hair; fine-quality sweaters contain less than 1 percent. The scales forming the outer layer, or epidermis, of the fine fibre are less distinct than those of wool although more definite than in mohair; the cortical layer is striated and contains varying amounts of pigment that produce the fibre colour; and there is no distinct medulla (central canal). The fibres have diameters finer than those of the best wools. The Kashmir goats of China and Mongolia yield fibre with diameters ranging from 14.5 to 16.5 micrometres; that of Iranian goats is 17.5 to 19.5 micrometres. Colour, usually gray or tan, varies from white to black.
Fabric made of cashmere is warm and comfortable to the wearer, and it has excellent draping qualities and soft texture. The fibre, which absorbs and retains moisture much like wool, is somewhat weaker than fine wool and considerably weaker than mohair. It is highly susceptible to damage by strong alkalies and high temperatures. Dark fibres are bleached to obtain light shades, although the process may reduce strength and softness. Cashmere fabrics are subject to abrasion in wearing; pilling, or bunching together of surface fibres, is a problem in knitwear.
Cashmere is used mainly for fine coat, dress, and suit fabrics and for high-quality knitwear and hosiery. It is sometimes blended with other fibres. The strong, coarse hair separated from the down is used locally for grain bags, ropes, blankets, and tent curtains. Because world production is so small and gathering and processing are costly, cashmere is a luxury fibre. Demand and, consequently, price are affected by fashion trends. New man-made fibres with similar texture and fineness, produced at much lower cost, have become a source of competition.
The major producers of cashmere are China, Mongolia, and Iran. Cashmere is also produced on the Indian subcontinent and in Afghanistan and Turkey. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan are leading consumers.
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