The Golden Fleece
The most delicate and prestigious of fibres, cashmere connotes
a refined elegance.
By Linda Luong Luck
C
ashmere, that most soft and supple of materials, has long been associated
with prestige and luxury. it was an extravagance that once only royalty could
afford—napoleon bestowed his first wife Joséphine a Pashmina making them
popular within the royal court, while his second wife, Marie Louise, received
17 cashmere shawls as a bridal gift.
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The caShMere ShoP
Today, cashmere is much more accessible but no less coveted or revered. its particular
exclusiveness lies in its availability. “it is a rare material and there is only a limited amount
of cashmere available yearly,” says ana gutierrez, operations manager of Black Goat
Cashmere, which has three locations in British columbia and one here in Toronto.
“The demand exceeds the supply.”
alison currie, owner of The Cashmere Shop in yorkville, adds that “There is a limit
to its abundance, especially good quality, and this contributes to its luxury.”
Though cashmere derives its name from the kashmir region of northern india,
the textile is most commonly found in such countries as australia, new Zealand,
afghanistan, china, and Mongolia.
Both Black goat cashmere and The cashmere Shop exclusively source their
materials from Mongolia, where the weather conditions are most favourable. Because
of the extreme cold, goats in this region tend to grow thicker coats to protect them from
the environment, resulting in more durable fibres. Mongolia is also a country that “not
only treats its goats, but also the knitters fairly and ethically,” says currie.
on average, it takes the hair of approximately three to four goats to produce one
sweater. The process to extract the fibre is a labour intensive one that commences each
spring when goats begin to shed their thick undercoats. Farmers then carefully comb
each animal individually, separating the long and short hairs, retaining the longest ones,
which are the most durable. The hairs are then washed, dyed and spun into spools of
yarn, ready to be transformed into sweaters, scarves, shawls, blankets, and more.
Though currie says that cashmere items are cherished gifts because they’re classic
and timeless, often becoming heirlooms within a family, people are afraid to buy it for
themselves or to gift it because they think it’s difficult to care for. “Truly, you can’t ruin
cashmere unless you put it in very hot water or the dryer,” says currie, who says the
textile is resilient and can last for years and years.
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