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Cashmere is a luxury type of wool that features prominently in the collections of Backbone, both in winter and in summer. It's important to understand what cashmere is and why it is more expensive than sheep's wool.
Where does cashmere come from?
Cashmere is also known in Dutch as "kasjmier".
The name "cashmere" comes from the Kashmiri goat. This goat is not native to the Netherlands — you certainly won't find it on our petting farms. So where can this goat be found?
The original home of the cashmere goat is a vast region spanning China, Pakistan and India, known as Kashmir. Today, these goats can also be found regularly in Mongolia, Iran, Tibet and Iraq.
They also inhabit the Himalayan mountain range at altitudes of up to 5,000 metres.
As large as this region is, it is still too small to supply the entire world with cashmere. As a result, herds are now also kept in New Zealand, Australia and Scotland. Cashmere production also takes place in countries such as China, Iran, Central Asia and Mongolia. Cashmere goats are relatively unknown and are kept primarily in the countries mentioned above by local farmers who earn their living from selling cashmere wool.
What is cashmere used for?
We now know a little more about the origins of this type of wool and the goat it comes from. When we look at the production process, we see that not all of the wool is usable — which significantly reduces the amount of usable wool per goat. Traditionally, the fibre is harvested from beneath the coat, where the most supple and soft fibre is found, and is combed out by hand. Today, more modern techniques such as shearing are also used to remove the coarser fibres. Once the fibres have been sorted and washed, they are ready to be spun into yarn.
The cashmere goat is kept primarily for its cashmere — one of the most expensive types of wool in the world. The cashmere goat is resistant to extreme cold, thanks to its unusually fine undercoat: the cashmere. When the cashmere goat sheds its coat, this special undercoat is separated from the rest of the fleece and sold as cashmere. The undercoat can only be harvested once a year. For the best quality, it is essential that the undercoat is removed at the right time and in the right way. When done correctly, this yields the finest quality cashmere. Each goat produces only 150 grams of cashmere per season, making it an exceptionally rare and precious product.
The benefits of cashmere
Cashmere is extremely soft and warm, thanks to its naturally short fibres — measuring less than 18 microns. Because the fibres don't stand straight up but instead curl around each other, they won't cause itching on your skin. How wonderful is that?!
Cashmere is also a natural fibre, which makes it a sustainable type of wool that lasts for years and has a self-cleaning ability. In principle, cashmere doesn't need to be washed. Simply hanging it outside occasionally — not in the rain! — and letting it air is enough.
Depending on its thickness, high-quality cashmere can be up to 8 times warmer than regular sheep's wool. Products made from pure cashmere offer excellent insulation and are naturally breathable, making them a pleasure to wear. Thinner cashmere products are also wonderfully comfortable to wear in spring and autumn.