QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT CASHMERE
9 things to know about cashmere from Studio Cashmere 8
1/ What is cashmere?
To qualify as cashmere, this rare and expensive fiber must be made from goat hair that is less than 19.5 microns in diameter and includes a proportion of down that is 30% greater than that of the hair. This is the secret of the cashmere appellation.
2/ Cashmere loves water
As surprising as it may seem, cashmere loves water. The Mongolians say that the more you wash cashmere, the more beautiful it is. As it gets wet, the fiber contracts, then springs back into place as it dries, like a little rebirth that renovates it. This mechanism even helps to eliminate pilling and keep the garment soft and supple. Wash your cashmere garments as often as possible by following the washing advice in our " cashmere care" section on our website.
3/ Cashmere is hypoallergenic
Cashmere does not contain lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic. It does not itch and can be worn next to the skin. It is the ideal material for sensitive skin.
4/ The origin of the word cashmere
Originally, cashmere comes from a very fine Indian fabric woven with the deep layer of hair of the goats of Kashmir or Tibet, reputedly wild and living in altitude, especially around Kashmir at the foot of the Himalayas.
5/ The basic colors of cashmere
Cashmere has only 3 colors: white, beige and dark brown. At Studio Cashmere 8, we carefully select the finest, longest and whitest fibers to offer you a truly soft cashmere with intense colors and lasting quality.
6/ 2 goats for one sweater
One goat's down only produces about 100 grams of usable cashmere per year, so it takes two goats to make a basic two-thread cashmere sweater. The production of cashmere is limited to between 7000 and 10000 tons per year, about 0.5% of the world wool production. Moreover, like any agricultural raw material, the price of cashmere varies from one year to the next depending on the quality and quantity of the harvest. Cashmere remains rare and expensive because it is a limited natural material.
7/ Where does the cashmere fiber come from?
Cashmere fiber comes from the Capra Hisca goat breed that lives mainly on the high plateaus of Mongolia. This breed of goat gives the best cashmere in the world because to face the icy cold that can reach -40°C during the winter, under its long and thick hair, a precious down has developed that insulates it from the cold, wind and rain. This natural protection sheds in the spring when the good weather arrives. Respecting the rhythm of the seasons, the Mongolian shepherds carefully recover, according to ancestral brushing methods of more than 200 years, these fibers which will only later become the raw material of Studio Cashmere 8.
8/ Cashmere is finer than our hair
Cashmere fiber is six times finer than our hair. That's why cashmere is incredibly soft.