What Is Cashmere, Is The Wool Cruel To Animals And Why Is It So ...

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CASHMERE is an extremely soft, expensive wool that is commonly used in shawls, jumpers and cardigans.

But why is the fine fabric so pricey and how is the wool collected for use?

What is cashmere?

Cashmere comes from goats, mostly the type that roams within Asian areas such as Mongolia, Tibet, Northern India, Iran, Afghanistan and Southwest China.

The luxury fibre mainly comes from the Kashmir goat, but some samples can come from other types of goats too.

Cashmere is typically finer, softer and lighter than sheep’s wool, and can be three times more insulating.

It is made from a very fine, close weave and has been manufactured in Mongolia, Nepal and Kashmir for thousands of years.

Is cashmere wool cruel to animals?

Each year from March to May, the Kashmir goats undergo a moulting process and shed a mixture of coarse hair and soft undercoat.

Farmers have to separate the two hairs, so that the fine undercoat can be dyed and woven into a yarn to be used in fabric.

However, animal rights groups have slammed the use of cashmere products.

This is because goats have very little fat on their bodies, and can freeze to death if shorn in mid-winter (when the demand for their wool is highest).

ASOS has announced it will pull all cashmere, silk and feather products by the end of January 2019.

Mimi Bekhechi, Director of International Programmes for Peta told the Sun Online: “Almost four decades of investigations by PETA affiliates have clearly shown that for all animal-derived materials, including cashmere, workers either take live animals’ hair, skin, or feathers by force or kill them for it – and every part of the process involves cruelty, often severe.

“Goats farmed in China and Mongolia need their coats to protect them from the bitter cold, but they’re frequently shorn in midwinter to meet market demand, and many then die from exposure as a result.

“Young goats with perceived ‘defects’ in their coats are slaughtered, and native wildlife is often persecuted and killed to protect the industry. PETA urges compassionate consumers to check every label and always opt for vegan materials.”

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Why is cashmere so expensive?

The reason that the fabric is so pricey is that Kashmir goats only produce around 113g of cashmere fibre each annually.

It takes around two goats every year to produce enough fibre to make a single jumper.

Clothes made from cashmere are up to eight times warmer than sheep’s wool and are extremely soft to touch.

Cashmere items are graded from A to C based on how high quality they are, with Grade A being the best but thinnest option.