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Cashmere Story Part 3 - Why Cashmere?
Coming from the Scottish Borders, the home of Cashmere made in Scotland, we are of course a little biased towards this luxurious fibre, however to back this up this entire blog is devoted to explaining just why cashmere is so special.
So why is Cashmere better than wool?
The answer to this is all about the fibre, unlike wool cashmere comes from hairs and this is the secret behind it's special powers. The cashmere goats have a two layer fleece and it is this second underlayer that products the supersoft, insulating fibres that give you the superior warmth and comfort.
Super Warm – The insulation capacity of cashmere is 3 times higher than wool (this increases with the quality of the cashmere), and being a natural fibre it breathes, making it perfect for maintaining the perfect body temperature.
Super Soft – Cashmere is world renowned as the softest of all yarns due to the very small diameter of the fibres, which create a very fine texture and that gasp of pleasure whenever you touch it.
Super Comfortable – With cashmere you get none of the itchiness of wool as the high density of the fibres gives the very smooth and soft texture, which means you can wear it against your skin and feel the luxury all day long.
Super Light – Thanks again to the small diameter of cashmere fibres you can have a very lightweight sweater while losing none of the warmth.
More resilient than you think - With the correct treatment and care quality cashmere washes well and will not shrink, keeping it's shape better than wool over the years. This is why you need to keep in with your granny as she might leave you that very expensive, classic cashmere cardigan you so admire.
Life it not all smooth sailing so what are the downsides?
Cashmere is a luxury material and you do need to be aware of one or two things. As we explained above cashmere fibres are shorter and thinner than most yarns, so you do need to follow the care and washing instructions to ensure you do not damage the garment or accessory. All of our cashmere product pages include this information. Pilling (those pesky bobbly bits where shorter fibres twist around themselves), is the other issue to be aware of and this generally occurs under the arms or where there is some friction. Better quality cashmere suffers less from this as the fibres are longer than cheaper alternatives but some degree of pilling is inevitable. It will reduce after a few washes and also do not be afraid to give your sweater a shave by removing it with a cashmere comb or by hand.
This concludes our cashmere story series. If you would like to learn more or have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch. And if you are now ready to make your first cashmere purchase then head this way to explore our collections.
