How does premium and low quality cashmere differ?

by David Venn August 13, 2015

When you hear the word cashmere, it echoes luxury and sophistication. For centuries, the purest and finest cashmere accessories were worn mostly by royalty in Asia. Cashmere has traditionally been an affluent fabric, and while it still is, today’s cashmere varies widely in quality and price.

Cashmere products range from tens to hundreds of dollars, so how can you tell which items are genuine or not? Price is one indicator of quality - the lower the price, the poorer the quality of cashmere. You can’t buy a pure 24k gold ring for $40. Real gold is expensive and so is real cashmere.

Well made products don’t come cheap and producing high quality cashmere is a time consuming process. To start, it takes one mountain goat about two years to naturally shed enough hair to make one cashmere scarf or shawl. Only the longest and finest under-fleece of the hair is hand-spun and handwoven to make high quality cashmere products. Our shawls take seven to ten days to make and go through a meticulous process.

Cashmere is known for its softness, lightweight feel and insulating properties. Because it’s eight times warmer than other wool, cashmere is significantly lighter and therefore doesn’t need to be thick or bulky to keep you warm. Cheap cashmere won't have these unique insulating properties. Poor quality fabric will also pill more often and will lack the soft feel that makes cashmere so coveted.

Finally, high quality cashmere lasts longer - keeping you warm and looking sophisticated for years to come. Our cashmere improves with wear, which means the more you wear it, the softer it becomes. That’s the value of a good quality investment. Enjoy!

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