Decorating Guides
Love Luxury? Comb Through the Wonders of Cashmere
Learn what makes this refined fabric so rare, rich and valuable — oh, and really, really soft
We deliberate for hours over the finishing touches in our homes. We want our sofas to have lovely throws, our curtains to feel luxurious, our cushions to be plump and our beds to become havens. Cashmere is one of those textiles that can help in all of those areas. It offers texture, warmth, lightness and sheen. Surprisingly versatile, cashmere is an incredible fabric that has to be touched to be believed.
Legend has it that Napoleon gave his wife, Empress Eugenie, 17 cashmere shawls. The shawls were said to be so fine that they could be drawn through her wedding ring. The celebrated "ring shawls" started a craze among the royal courts.
"Cashmere" was first used in the fashion lexicon around 1837, to refer to finely twilled dress fabric in England, which was made from Kashmir goat wool.
These magnificent cashmere window panels are a stunning example of how you can use this fabric to its maximum potential in the 21st century.
"Cashmere" was first used in the fashion lexicon around 1837, to refer to finely twilled dress fabric in England, which was made from Kashmir goat wool.
These magnificent cashmere window panels are a stunning example of how you can use this fabric to its maximum potential in the 21st century.
How cashmere is made. The Kashmir goat lives on very high and dry terrains, including the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, Iran and northern China. This particular breed sheds only once a year, which accounts for the high price of this fabric.
The guard hair, or the external coat on the goat, repels the elements and protects the much finer undercoat, which is used to make cashmere. The coarse coat is 1 1/2 to 8 inches long, while the finer undercoat is only 1 to 3 1/2 inches long.
The guard hair, or the external coat on the goat, repels the elements and protects the much finer undercoat, which is used to make cashmere. The coarse coat is 1 1/2 to 8 inches long, while the finer undercoat is only 1 to 3 1/2 inches long.
In the spring, shepherds comb the fleece just before the goats begin the shedding process, which lasts three to four weeks. One goat produces about 1/2 pound of white, gray or brown fleece. White cashmere is the rarest.
The raw fiber is washed and the guard and undercoat hair are separated, so that only the undercoat remains. This process reduces the weight of the total fleece by up to 50 percent. The remaining soft undercoat then goes on to be dyed and spun.
The rarity of the raw material and the hard work that goes into producing the finished result makes it truly precious; it takes fleece from about 40 goats to make a single blanket.
The raw fiber is washed and the guard and undercoat hair are separated, so that only the undercoat remains. This process reduces the weight of the total fleece by up to 50 percent. The remaining soft undercoat then goes on to be dyed and spun.
The rarity of the raw material and the hard work that goes into producing the finished result makes it truly precious; it takes fleece from about 40 goats to make a single blanket.
Modern cashmere. By the end of the 19th century, the Scottish had designed machinery to easily separate the Kashmir goats' guard hair from the undercoat hair. This started cashmere's commercial production.
Today some of the world's finest cashmere comes from China — which produces around 70 percent of the world's cashmere. If you're looking for the best of the best, go for A-grade cashmere, which tends to have a fiber thickness of about 14 microns (14 millionths of a meter).
This library plays homage to a more masculine, refined style. These cashmere drapes are impeccable — not glitzy or over the top, with just the right amount of fall.
More: Browse cashmere throws and more in Products
Today some of the world's finest cashmere comes from China — which produces around 70 percent of the world's cashmere. If you're looking for the best of the best, go for A-grade cashmere, which tends to have a fiber thickness of about 14 microns (14 millionths of a meter).
This library plays homage to a more masculine, refined style. These cashmere drapes are impeccable — not glitzy or over the top, with just the right amount of fall.
More: Browse cashmere throws and more in Products
However, it wasn't until the 16th century that the word "cashmere" was first used, when spinners traveled to India along the Silk Road and spun and traded shawls. Around this time more than 50,000 of these craftsmen wove cashmere products for trade.