- Related Topics:
- Angora goat
- specialty hair fibre
mohair
-
What is mohair?
Mohair is an animal-hair fibre from the Angora goat and a significant specialty hair fibre. The word mohair comes from the Arabic mukhayyar, or āgoatās hair fabric." It is one of the oldest textile fibres, produced exclusively in Turkey for thousands of years and achieving importance in European textile manufacture during the 19th century.
The fleece grows in uniform locks about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) annually. Angora goats are clipped twice yearly, yielding about 5 pounds (2.25 kg) of fleece per clipping. Mohair fibre is long, lustrous, strong, resilient, and durable. Woven mohair fabrics are used for garments, and the fibre is also used to manufacture knitted goods and yarns.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
From which animal is mohair obtained?
Mohair is an animal-hair fibre obtained from the Angora goat. The word mohair comes from the Arabic term mukhayyar, meaning "goatās hair fabric." This textile fibre is one of the oldest, with exclusive production in Turkey for thousands of years. It became important to European textile manufacturing during the 19th century.
The fleece of Angora goats grows in uniform locks at an average rate of 8 to 12 inches annually. The animals are clipped twice a year, yielding about 5 pounds of fleece per clipping.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How is mohair different from wool?
Mohair and wool are both animal fibers, but they come from different animals and have different qualities. Mohair comes from the Angora goat while wool comes from sheep. Mohair fibers are known for being long, lustrous, strong, and durable. Wool fibers are shorter and have diameters ranging from about 16 to 40 microns. Unlike wool, mohair scales lie almost flat, making the fiber surface fairly smooth.
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some properties of mohair fibre?
Mohair is an animal-hair fibre from the Angora goat. Its name comes from the Arabic term meaning "goatās hair fabric." The fleece grows in uniform locks about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) annually. Angora goats are clipped twice a year, yielding about 5 pounds (2.25 kg) of fleece per clipping.
Mohair fibre consists mainly of keratin, similar to wool. Its smooth surface results from the scales lying almost flat. The fibre is lustrous, strong, resilient, and durable. It absorbs and retains moisture like wool, dyes well, and reacts to heat, sunlight, and aging similarly to wool. Due to its scale structure, mohair felts less readily than wool.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How is mohair collected and processed for use?
Mohair is collected from Angora goats, which are typically clipped twice a year because their fleece grows about 8 to 12 inches annually. Each clipping yields around 5 pounds of fleece.
The fleece is sold locally or shipped to marketing centers. Istanbul is the primary market for Turkish fleece, while African mohair is mainly exported to the United Kingdom.
After collection, the mohair is processed to remove natural grease, dirt, and vegetable matter. This cleaning process improves the fiber's color, with yields of cleaned fleece ranging from 70 to 90 percent of the original weight. Mohair is known for being strong, lustrous, and durable and is used in clothing, knitted goods, and upholstery.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are common uses of mohair in clothing and textiles?
Mohair is an animal-hair fiber from the Angora goat. Its name comes from the Arabic term meaning "goatās hair fabric." This specialty fiber has been used for textiles for a very long time.
Mohair fibers make their way into a variety of garments, such as summer-weight suits, dresses, and outerwear. The textile is also used to make knitted goods and yarns. You can combine mohair with other fibers to make blended yarns or as the warp or filling yarn in woven fabric. Because of its durability, it sees some use in upholstery, and it has been used in lining fabrics for shaped garments.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
mohair, animal-hair fibre obtained from the Angora goat and a significant so-called specialty hair fibre. The word mohair is derived from the Arabic mukhayyar (āgoatās hair fabricā), which became mockaire in medieval times. Mohair is one of the oldest textile fibres, produced exclusively in Turkey for thousands of years and achieving importance in European textile manufacture during the 19th century. In the mid-1800s herds of common goats in southern Africa and the southwestern United States were upgraded by the importation of Angora sires.
The fleece of the Angora goat grows in uniform locks. Annual growth averages about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm), and the animals are usually clipped twice yearly, each yielding about 5 pounds (2.25 kg) of fleece per clipping. Controlled breeding has eliminated most of the outer protective coat; only a small amount of the undesirable coarse guard hair remains.
Fleece produced in the United States may be sold on consignment at local warehouses and then shipped to marketing centres in Boston and Philadelphia or may be purchased directly by mills. Istanbul is the main market for Turkish fleece. Mohair from the African continent is exported chiefly to the United Kingdom. Processingāinvolving the removal of natural grease, dirt, and vegetable matterāeliminates the brownish colour imparted by impurities. Yields of cleaned fleece range from about 70 to 90 percent of the original weight.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
Mohair fibre, like wool, is composed chiefly of the protein substance keratin. Fibre structure is similar to that of wool, although the outer layer, or epidermis, has about half the number of scales found in fine wools. Because the scales lie almost flat, with little overlapping, the fibre surface is fairly smooth. The cortex portion, striated throughout its length, often contains air-filled pockets, and less than 1 percent of the fibres have a central canal, or medulla.
Mohair fibre is long, lustrous, strong, resilient, and durable. It absorbs and retains moisture much like wool and has good affinity for dyestuffs but is more sensitive to chemicals. It reacts much like wool when subjected to heat, sunlight, moth larvae, and aging. Because of its scale structure, mohair felts less readily than wool.
Woven mohair fabrics, frequently in pile form, are used for a variety of garments, including outerwear, summer-weight suits, and dresses, and mohair fibre is also used to manufacture knitted goods and knitting yarns. Mohair is often combined with other fibres, either blended in yarns or serving as either the warp or the filling yarn in woven fabric. It has had extensive use in lining fabrics for shaped garments but has recently received competition from synthetic fibres used for that purpose. Mohair pile upholstery fabric, once popular, is now limited to certain upholstery uses requiring both luxury and durability. The demand for mohair in both apparel and home furnishings varies with changes in fashion.
Turkey, the United States, and southern Africa are the largest producers of mohair. Leading consumers are the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
