the luxurious touch of cashmere
What is cashmere?
Cashmere wool is a very unusual and extraordinary material. It may be the rarest natural fabric in the world. The term ‘cashmere’ tends to refer to clothes that is made of this material. Sweaters and pashminas (scarfs) are the most popular, but it can also be used to...
continue"Imagine the softest material that you have ever touched, multiply that by a hundred and what you get is the smoothness of cashmere."
What is cashmere?
Cashmere wool is a very unusual and extraordinary material. It may be the rarest natural fabric in the world. The term ‘cashmere’ tends to refer to clothes that is made of this material. Sweaters and pashminas (scarfs) are the most popular, but it can also be used to make gloves, kerchiefs, robes, and hats.
continueHistory of cashmere
Cashmere is usually linked to interesting stories. For example, some of us inherited a cashmere sweater from our grandmother, which is not very surprising. Thanks to its high quality, even after years of use, a cashmere sweater barely degrades – as long as its properly taken care of. The colours stay vibrant without any signs of fading. The shape also remains unchanged, no bagginess or stretching.
continueHow is a cashmere sweater made?
The manufacturing process of a cashmere sweater is lengthy and demanding. It starts by gathering raw cashmere fibres, which are collected in spring and summer. During this period, cashmere goats descend from high altitudes in the Himalayan mountains where they naturally shed their winter coat. The cashmere wool can then be found in bushes or on rocks.
continueWhere are cashmere sweaters made?
One of the most important parts of the story about cashmere sweaters is their place of origin. The majority is manufactured in China, but these sweaters are known for their low quality due to the semi-automated manufacturing process instead of handcrafting. To some extent, cashmere products are also made in Europe, with Scotland holding the definite first place, and Italy holding the second.
continueQuality of cashmere
Even the most ordinary cashmere sweater is several times more expensive than a generic sweater made of other fabrics. Why should you buy a cashmere sweater? Why is it so expensive? What makes it so outstanding?
continueHow to wash a cashmere sweater?
Cashmere is a textile that needs to be treated very carefully. You cannot simply throw a cashmere sweater along with other clothes into the washing machine. It needs to be taken care of in a very special way. However, this proper care is well worth it. Years from purchase, the sweater will look as good as new, and will not change its color, nor the shape. It will look the same way it did when you bought it.
continueWhere to buy a cashmere sweater?
I come from Slovakia. A few years ago, it was incredibly difficult to find a cashmere sweater in this country. I personally searched through Bratislava and Prague with miserable results. The number of re-sellers could have been counted on one hand, as finding a store with cashmere sweaters was like finding a needle in a haystack. Furthermore, the ones that I found, did not sell products of sufficient quality.
continueCashmere clothes
Thousands of years ago, the inhabitants of Himalayas got a great idea. They uncovered the outstanding properties of cashmere wool and used it to start manufacturing clothes. The tender cashmere fibres can be processed only by hand and fortunately this tradition has persisted until today.
continueFake cashmere sweaters
Fake cashmere is a big problem in the European market. This is a common occurrence when it comes to luxury goods, as the prices for authentic products are high.
continueHow many plies should a cashmere sweater have?
During the purchase process (on the internet or in a classic shop) you may find that there are differences between the sweaters in terms of number of plies. Simply, the more plies a sweater has, the warmer it is.
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