What is Cashmere? Discover luxury and comfort

Cashmere is a luxurious type of wool, which you will see a lot in Backbone‘s collections, both in winter and summer. It is important to understand what cashmere is and why it is more expensive than sheep’s wool.

Where does cashmere come from?

Cashmere is also called cashmere in Dutch.

The name “Cashmere” comes from the Kashmiri goats. In the Netherlands we don’t know this goat, at least, it doesn’t roam our petting zoos. So where is this goat to be found?

The original area where the goat originated is an immense area in China, Pakistan and India called Kashmir. Today, these goats are also regularly found in Mongolia , Iran, Tibet and Iraq.
Also, they occur in the Himalayan mountains at altitudes of up to 5,000 meters.

As large as this area is, it is still too small to supply the entire world with cashmere. Similarly, herds are now kept in New Zealand, Australia and Scotland. Cashmere production also takes place in countries such as China, Iran, central Asia and Mongolia. Cashmere goats are fairly unknown and are mainly kept in the above countries by local farmers who make money selling the cashmere wool.

Where is cashmere used?

We already know a little more about the origin of the wool and the goat. Looking at the method of production, not all wool is usable. This greatly reduces the amount of usable wool per goat. Traditionally, the fiber of this type of wool is extracted from under the fleece. That is where the most supple and soft fiber can be found, this is combed by hand. Today, more modern techniques, such as shaving, are used to remove the stiff fibers. After the fibers are sorted and washed, they are ready for spinning into yarn.

The “Cashmere goat,” is primarily kept for its cashmere, one of the most expensive types of wool in the world. The Cashmere goat is resistant to extreme cold, this is due to its unusually fine undercoat: the cashmere. When the cashmere goat loses its coat, this particular undercoat is separated from the remaining fur and sold as cashmere. The undercoat can only be extracted once a year. For the best quality, it is very important to remove the cashmere goat’s undercoat properly and at the right time. If that is the case, you create the best quality cashmere. Each goat yields only 150 grams of cashmere per season. So this makes it a very rare and precious product.

Benefits of cashmere

Cashmere is extremely soft and warm, this is because the natural fibers are very short. In fact, these natural fibers are smaller than 18 Microns. Because the fibers do not run straight up but rather curl into each other, it keeps it from itching your skin! How nice is that!!!

Also, cashmere is a natural fiber, which makes it a durable wool, lasts for years and has self-cleaning ability. Basically, you don’t need to wash cashmere. Occasionally hang outside, not in the rain! So letting it air out for a while is enough.

Depending on the thickness, high-quality cashmere can be up to 8x warmer than regular sheep wool. Products made of pure cashmere are excellent insulation and naturally breathable, therefore perfect for wearing. In addition, the thinner cashmere products are perfectly comfortable to wear in spring and fall.