Cashmere

Cashmere is one of the most luxurious natural fibers available. For many years, our primary focus has been on processing high-quality cashmere wool of exceptional quality. Our company philosophy always centers around the appreciation of this material in everything we do. The cashmere wool we use is characterized by an especially gentle and soft feel.

Cashmere: Definition and Origin

What is Cashmere?

Cashmere is the undercoat of the cashmere goat, which originally comes from the Kashmir region, an area in the Himalayas that spans India, Pakistan, and China.

Today, the cashmere goat is also found in other high-altitude areas of Asia, such as China and Mongolia. The unique climatic conditions at these altitudes of around 4,000 meters make the hair of the cashmere goat so unique. The goat has an undercoat of especially fine and silky-soft hairs, which makes cashmere wool particularly valuable and sought after.

Cashmere fibers have several outstanding properties:

They are among the softest natural fibers
They are breathable and temperature-regulating
They are moisture-repellent
They provide exceptional thermal insulation
They are highly tear-resistant
They naturally repel odors and dirt
They are lightweight

Harvesting and Processing Cashmere

Harvesting:

The prized cashmere wool comes from the undercoat of the cashmere goats, which can have white, brown, gray, or black coats.

Once a year, the goats shed their winter coat, and in spring, the fine undercoat is gently combed out, closely aligning with the goats' natural molting process. Only about 150 grams of valuable cashmere fibers are harvested per goat. It takes three to five goats to produce a single pure cashmere sweater.

The fibers are only 15 to 19 microns thick (much finer than human hair), and globally, they account for just 0.5% of the total animal hair production.

All of this makes cashmere so valuable and a true luxury product, especially as demand for fine cashmere knitwear continues to rise worldwide.

Market prices are based on the quality of the cashmere, with the ideal fibers being:

As thin and fine as possible
As long as possible
As light as possible
As curly as possible

Processing:

After combing, the cashmere fibers are sorted by colour, and any lower-quality fibers are discarded. The undercoat is then washed to remove dirt and grease.

After that, the wool fibers are spun into yarn, which can then be woven or knitted into textiles. Cashmere knitwear is often handmade or produced on knitting machines. For example, cashmere sweaters are typically knitted, while cashmere scarves are primarily woven.

Only textiles that contain at least 85% cashmere wool can be labeled as cashmere products, and only the highest quality items can be called 100% cashmere.

Cashmere Creation at Iris von Arnim

Iris von Arnim's cashmere models are distinguished by the highest quality of these noble natural fibers and possess a casual yet elegant appeal.

Our cashmere sweaters come in superfine yarns for luxurious, ultra-thin smooth knits, as well as in chunky rib knits or with intricate knit patterns such as cable knits.

Exclusive hand-knitting by expert artisans from Poland is the heart of our Iris von Arnim collection.

Thanks to innovative dyeing techniques from Italy, our cashmere knitwear is available in unique stonewashed colour tones, making each piece a one-of-a-kind, lifelong favourite. Most of our products are made in Europe.

Our company code is also committed to responsible interaction with nature and its resources, which includes:

Fair wages
Fair production
Social responsibility
Equality
Adherence to environmental guidelines
Short transport routes

Trust in our years of expertise and values, and discover a stunning selection of unique cashmere sweaters for women and men, cashmere cardigans for women and men, and other exclusive cashmere knitwear that meets the highest standards in our Iris von Arnim online store.

Learn more about other high-quality natural fibers, such as merino wool or virgin wool.