Cashmere is one of the highest quality premium clothing materials on the market. The reason being is, it can take up to 4 years for a cashmere goat to produce enough udercoat to make one cashmere jumper plus the many man hours that follow to get it to the shop floors. Due to the popularity and demand cashmere is now being manafactured on a larger scale and corners are sometimes cut to produce such affordable styles for the highstreet. The high end of the scale will take the hair from the underbelly of the animal where as the lower qulity manafactures take the shorter finer hairs typically from the rear end! In some cases the hair is then mixed with other animals such as rabbits and yaks! Great quality highstreet finds are out there so make sure you are clued up before you start your hunt!
Here are my top cashmere tips and best highstreet finds out there
What to look out for…
- Always check the label, if the hair has been mixed with other animals it cannot be 100% cashmere!
- Try to go for a tighter knit as this will be longer lasting and usually take longer to pill.
- Check the weight of the garmet – The heavier the knit the better the quality. Two piles means that double strands of yarn have been used and it will stand the test of time!
- If you are looking for long lasting quality, put your hand inside and hold to the light, if you can easily see through then step away!
How to care for…
- Unlike wool cashmere can withstand water! Dry cleaning will stiffen the garment.
- Wash on a handwash cycle and put the garment in a pillow case or mesh bag to avoid pilling.
- Buy a gentle cashmere shampoo for the wash, this can now be found in supermarkets.
- Buy a cahsmere comb for bobbles, DO NOT pull them off!
- When storing, fold! DO NOT hang as this will stretch the fibres.
- You can also tumble dry on a cold cycle for no more than 5 minutes to remove excess water. DO NOT ring, lay flat on a towel and air dry slowly
