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The Origins And Care Of A Cashmere Cardigan
A beautiful cashmere cardigan is well worth investing in and, if well looked after, will last you for years to come.
We have largely got Coco Chanel to thank for today's famed cashmere cardigan. Along with Parisian Couturier Jean Patou she discovered that cashmere's weight and feel lent itself brilliantly to fashion garments.
Cashmere wool is derived from the cashmere domestic goat. Most of the wool used to make cashmere garments today is from China and Mongolia, where breeders raise herds of cashmere goats in the Gobi Desert.
The freezing night temperatures in this area (up to minus 40 degrees celsius) mean that these goats grow an incredibly soft inner hair which is six times finer than the hair of a human. This makes up one half of a double coat, and is mixed with a coarser and straighter outer layer of guard hair. This hair, once harvested, is separated by a mechanical process, known as de-hairing, after which the soft, fine hair is dyed and made into yarn for garments and fabric.
High quality cashmere yarn and fabric is often hand-combed from the goat during moulting season when the goat is naturally shedding its winter coat, making the resulting garment a labour-intensive product, when the rearing and care of the animal is also taken into consideration.
In some countries that produce cashmere, including Iran, Afghanistan, New Zealand and Australia, goats are usually shorn of their fleeces, which obtains a considerably lower pure cashmere yield. Cashmere goats raised in parts of the world such as Pakistan, India and Turkey tend to grow hair that is grey or brown and therefore not as sought-after, although garments fashioned from this cashmere can still prove costly due to the intensive labour still required to obtain the wool.
When shopping for a cashmere cardigan, compare the feel of it with that of a fine wool sweater. It should feel much finer and softer. A quick quality check that's easy to perform is this: rub the palm of your hand over the garment. Should any of the fibre roll into tiny balls, forget it. This isn't quality cashmere.
You can also try stretching the garment a bit and checking that it springs straight back into shape. If it doesn't, the garment could either be made from low-quality fibre, or else knitted with very loose tension, which is undesirable.
Your cashmere cardigan should be treated with the upmost care in order to prolong its life. This means hand-washing only, and in cold or lukewarm water with a fine washable soap. Cashmere should never be wrung out or twisted to dry - simply use towels to dab and remove moisture and then leave to dry flat. Any woven cashmere garment should only be dry-cleaned.
When it's dry, keep your garment folded on a shelf rather than hanging it on a coat hanger. Clean before storing to avoid enticing moths, and, if possible, seal in a garment bag to protect from moth damage.
Following these simple rules should ensure that you and your cashmere cardigan have many happy years together!
About the Author Thomas Pretty is a fashion journalist with many years of experience writing about the fashion industry. Find out more about the cashmere cardigan at http://www.ilovecashmere.co.uk/
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