THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT CASHMERE

 

Confused over what constitutes good quality cashmere sweater

 and accessories in today's marketplace?

 

If so, Carmel Cashmere is here to help you make intelligent, informed decisions so next time you are looking to buy a cashmere item, you can do so with confidence and knowledge.

 

First and foremost, you must know that NOT ALL CASHMERE IS EQUAL

 

• Our suppliers use only the whitest cashmere, which is the finest, longest and purest quality cashmere fiber available.  This makes for a sustainable product as quality products will always wear better creating longevity which equals sustainability.

 

• The fiber used in our sweaters and accessories is hand combed and comes from the throat and belly of the cashmere goat, where the fiber is the whitest, longest and densest; nature's design to keep the animal's vital organs warm.

 

• Inferior cashmere manufacturers use the short fibers from the back and legs, where it is coarser, darker and shorter, but which costs less to buy and produce.  Also, they often mix other fibers (even rat hair has been found) with cashmere and then label them "pure cashmere" or "100% cashmere".  This practice is deceptive as well as illegal.

 

The finest produced quality cashmere garments still come from Scotland and Italy, who have world renowned reputations for expertise and quality products.

 

• Be wary of merchandise coming from the Far and Middle Eastern countries, usually listed as "Imported" in catalogue, print and online advertising.  The mass merchandisers use these countries for their cheap labor and production costs and then try to confuse the consumer by stating that all the cashmere on the market is the same.  The quality and workmanship are simply NOT the same!

 

• What has to do with quality is how clean, pure and long the fiber is to begin with and how tight the garment is knitted (gauge).  The lighter the knit, the tighter the stitches should be together which results in a higher gauge.  So, a single ply sweater will be a lighter weight but a tighter knit.  With woven items such as scarves, shawls and blankets, look for how tightly the item is woven, which is always a good indicator of quality.

 

• Our items are YARN dyed, NOT pieced dyed like most cheap cashmere.  Yarn dyed makes for uniform color consistency and a far more superior product.

 

• Softness has nothing to do with quality as many inferior cashmere manufacturers use short fibers which may make the sweater feel "fluffier" but will also more likey pill and wear out faster.  Our items are knitted and woven with the longest, finest strands available, which give a tighter, flat feel but which wears much better and much longer.  Lighter shades will always be softer than dark colors as stronger dyes are needed to dye black, navy, etc. However; all colors get softer when washed as the fibers "open" and get fuller.

 

• The other important factors are ply and gauge.  All ply relates is weight.  It has absolutely nothing to do with quality.  

 

• To add even more confusion, many manufacturers are calling a single ply cashmere a  2 ply and a 2 ply a 4 ply, etc.to imply that the higher the ply the better the garment.  This is absolutely untrue.