Test: Asket cashmere sweater, recycled or classic cashmere?

Today I'm going to compare two cashmere sweaters from the Asket brand , which are "almost" identical.

Almost, because one is knitted in a "classic" cashmere , spun in Italy, while the other, in 97% recycled cashmere, and 3% wool.

This winter, Asket replaced all of its classic cashmere knits with recycled cashmere , and when they offered me to test this new product, I remembered that I already owned the previous model. So it was the perfect opportunity for a little comparison.

But to understand the interest of such a comparison, as well as what has recently motivated some brands to offer recycled cashmere , we still need to have an overall view of the situation of cashmere today.

A brief overview of cashmere: market, ecology, and quality

Cashmere, which was once a luxury fiber reserved for the finest knits and fabrics, became much more popular in the 1990s, and became "affordable" when almost all the major fast-fashion brands started offering cashmere sweaters for around 100 euros or less, towards the end of the 2000s.

The general public got a taste of it, and since then, the demand for cashmere production has only grown.

Unfortunately, this democratization did not come without compensation.

1. More cashmere, less quality?

Some long-time connoisseurs, in particular, argue that there has been a decline in the average quality of fibers, as more spinners and the brands they supply are now competing for good cashmere.

The great historic spinners of luxury cashmere such as Loro Piana (LVMH Group), Johnstons of Elgin or Todd & Duncan (whose splendid yarns we recently used for two of our cashmere sweaters ) are struggling to secure their stocks of high-quality fibers.

While Italy and Scotland are traditionally the two countries of luxury cashmere, it should be kept in mind that the vast majority of cashmere is harvested, spun and knitted by Chinese industry giants established there, such as the Erdos group (to which Eric Bompard belongs), which produces and supplies cashmere for the entire world, for entry-level brands (such as Uniqlo ), as well as luxury brands, or mid-range.

All in varying qualities ranging from mediocre to excellent.

When I published the Little Guide to Wools and Their Designations in 2019, my ambition was to provide a simple classification of the different fiber qualities via their "fineness grades".

Unfortunately, over the next two years, I would learn not only that cashmere "grades" are specific to each producer and that these names therefore mean nothing, but that in addition the fineness of the fiber alone is not sufficient to judge the quality of a cashmere thread: the length of the fibers also plays a role, the spinning and dyeing processes as well, and a thread composed only of the finest fibers will be extremely fragile.

In short, in case you still had any doubts: the term "100% cashmere" has long since ceased to be a guarantee of a "product of excellence", and it is very difficult to know exactly what you are buying.

Untangling the issue of the cashmere market, and drawing up a list of who is buying from whom, while being able to distinguish the different qualities of each producer... That would require a colossal amount of investigative work.

2. The problem of intensive breeding

While increased demand may have reduced the level of demands placed on sorting fibres, other avenues could explain the drop in quality.

In particular, that of breeding conditions , which become less good as it becomes more intensive.

It is traditionally said that "real cashmere", the down under the neck of the Capra Hircus goat, only grows from an altitude of 3000 meters.

I'm not particularly well-versed in geography, but I think I can safely say that there is not an infinite amount of pastureland above 3000 meters above sea level on Earth .

I have no doubt, therefore, that as production increases, livestock farming will move lower and lower down the mountains , with the fibre becoming less good.

But if it were just a matter of quality, we could turn a blind eye and say "too bad!" "Mainstream" cashmeres would be less good than luxury ones, and there would be nothing dramatic about that, after all...

However, overproduction linked to the increase in demand also causes its share of ecological problems , starting with the degradation of Mongolian vegetation via the ever-expanding pastures, since the cashmere goat is almost exclusively raised in Mongolia (the country) as well as in Inner Mongolia (the region belonging to China).

More recently, researchers have begun to support the hypothesis that the destruction caused by these livestock farms is the cause of the gigantic sandstorms that rage in Mongolia , thus endangering the way of life and resources of the nomadic populations who inhabit the steppes.

In short, the subject of cashmere quality was already complicated...

But the subject mixing geopolitics and economics , ecological, and ethical is even more so.

Here too, I would modestly admit that the subject is beyond me at present, and I would be careful not to give you an opinion or a firm judgment in the absence of in-depth investigation...

3. The challenge of recycled cashmere

What is certain is that given the complexity of the situation, recycled cashmere appears to be an interesting solution for brands promoting more responsible fashion.

But at the same time, it is a luxury fiber, with very special properties of softness, warmth and loft.

So, if recycled cashmere helps to remedy overproduction a little, does it still have an interest as a "luxury" fiber? Is its quality comparable to that of classic cashmere?

This is what I will try to determine with you.

Let’s get to the test!

The classic fiber model is gray.

• I have been wearing it since October 2019 , very frequently.
• I estimate it has close to 100 wears , and around 10 washes.
• From memory, its sale price was 195 euros.

The recycled fiber model is light brown.

• I've been wearing it since October 2020 , very frequently too.
• I estimate it has between 30 and 60 wears, and three or four washes.
• Its current sale price is 175 euros.

I take care of my cashmere sweaters in a rather careless way: washed at 30° on a delicate cycle (45 min), with a low spin (400 rpm), without separating them from the rest of my clothes or using a specific detergent. Obviously, no tumble dryer.

Some will cry heresy: it is true that a cold wash, or even a hand wash, with a special detergent for wool, would undoubtedly provide better maintenance and more beautiful sweaters in the long term.

However, for the purposes of our test, my relative neglect serves us rather well, as it puts a bit more strain on the sweater fibers.

1. Softness

To compare the softness of the two sweaters as objectively as possible , I proceeded as follows:

I twisted and wound them together, so that they formed a compact mass of mesh, and I could not tell, blindly , which was which.

I moved away from the sweater on the table, closed my eyes for a few seconds to forget how the "ball" was arranged, and then came back to feel it all.

Several times I touched different areas of this mass, mentally noting my feelings.

Little by little, two quite distinct touches began to appear: one was indeed softer than the other.

When I opened my eyes again and tried the experiment again, I saw, to my great surprise, that it was the recycled cashmere sweater that was the softer of the two. To give an order of magnitude, I would have rated the classic cashmere 65/100 in softness, and the recycled 80/100.

This is surprising, because the main disadvantage of recycled fibers is that they are shorter , since the recycling process tends to "break" them.

After looking at the sweaters more closely, however, I think I can explain this difference: the recycled cashmere sweater seems to have been brushed slightly more on the surface. In doing so, the fibers form a very light fuzz that improves the softness to the touch.

This is both a good and a bad thing, because while the initial smoothness is improved, brushing does not maintain its smoothness forever. . And the more a stitch is brushed, the more it pills.

It's also possible that my "hardcore" maintenance has somewhat dulled the softness of my classic cashmere, which has an extra year of life behind it compared to its recycled little brother.

In short, given the many variables, it's hard to tell them apart with certainty on the softness front. However, it can be said that recycled cashmere doesn't disappoint, for the moment , on the point where I was most afraid it would disappoint.

2. Pilling

Comparing the level of pilling that persists over the long term, my hypothesis about brushing seems to be confirmed.

All cashmere sweaters pill during the first few wears. What is interesting, however, is to see in what proportions, and whether the pilling continues to reappear after one or two washes.

Both sweaters were given a quick pilling shave after their second wash.

However, the recycled version seems to continue to pill slightly on the friction areas (inside the arm and armpits), where the classic version seems to have almost none .

Note that the amount of pilling in recycled material is not unacceptable, but there is a difference.

3. Inflating

What is "puffiness"?

Well, imagine two feather-stuffed pillows. You briefly try to ball them up in your arms, then pat them back into shape.

One of them seems to be plumping up naturally and taking on a plump look. The other looks a little shrunken and lifeless.

The first pillow has better loft than the second.

For cashmere, it's the same: the loft is important, not only because it provides that "cocoon" effect inherent to cashmere , which almost gives the impression of wearing a little cloud, but also because it determines the capacity to store air, and therefore, to keep you warm.

To compare the loft of the two sweaters, I simply took "a good handful" of knitwear in each of my hands, until they were filled with the material of the sweaters. And I squeezed them several times.

After a few tries and hand changes to be sure , no doubt: classic cashmere is a little more puffy on a similar volume of knit. The material seems a little more animated, a little more alive.

4. Heat (and weight)

This is perhaps one of the most important qualities of cashmere alongside its softness: its warmth.

To compare the ability of these two sweaters to keep you warm... I have to say that I had to do some work.

For the purposes of the test, I stayed at home, in boxers and socks, in a moderately heated room (17-19°C), bare-chested.

I waited for my body temperature to drop a little, until I felt a relatively stable cold sensation.

Then I first put on the first sweater directly on my skin, and I started a 15-minute timer.

Sitting in front of my computer, I noted my feelings in terms of thermal comfort after 3 minutes, then 7 minutes, then at the end of 15 minutes.

I repeated the same process with the second sweater.

And to be REALLY SURE of my comparison, I did all this again a second time at a different time of the day, for each of the sweaters.

And here is the result:

Classic Cashmere

• Three minutes: I reach "thermal comfort +" That is to say that I am a little warmer than necessary to not be cold
• Seven minutes: I reach "thermal comfort ++" . That is to say, still a little warmer, but far from a feeling of "too hot".
• 15 minutes: at the end of the timer, my feeling remained at "comfort ++"

Recycled cashmere

• Three minutes: I'm right at a level of "minimum thermal comfort" . That is to say, a little bit cooler and I would be very slightly cold.
• Seven minutes: I reach “thermal comfort +” .
• 15 min: the feeling does not change, I stay on “comfort +”.

According to my tests , there is therefore a fairly significant difference in warmth between the traditional cashmere model and the recycled model.

This is all the more surprising since, having worn both a few times, the recycled one always felt a little heavier and thicker. And as I dig into my memories of this winter , I remember feeling "colder than expected" wearing my recycled cashmere.

Well, imagine that the respective weights of these sweaters further widen the gap to the disadvantage of recycled fiber: I had noted down somewhere the exact weight of the sweaters upon receipt , and I was able to reweigh them during the test.

Classic Cashmere

• Weight upon receipt: 280g
• Weight after one and a half years: 260g

Recycled cashmere

• Weight upon receipt: 320g
• Weight after two seasons: 315g

The bottom line is that regular cashmere feels noticeably warmer than recycled cashmere, even when the latter is 20% heavier.

5. Washing stability

I don't have the exact dimensions of the two sweaters before washing.

I know, however, that both are "M-Short" at Asket , and are, a priori, identical in dimensions once they leave production.

However, measuring them after a number of washes , I notice differences in measurements.

• Chest width: 52cm for the classic, versus 54cm for the recycled.
• Sleeve length: 58.5cm for the classic, versus 60cm for the recycled.
• Bust length: 61cm for both , apparently no shrinkage on this point. But I wear my sweaters tucked into my pants, and this tends to stretch them.

Obviously, both sweaters were worn a few times between their last washes, and the measurement being taken. (Because any freshly washed and dried knit temporarily shrinks before returning to its original dimensions.)

So I'm pretty sure that the recycled cashmere sweater has better stability than regular cashmere.

I'm not too surprised, thinking about it.

I don't know where exactly these recycled cashmere fibers come from: are they "offcuts" from knitting? Old sweaters crushed and then reused?

In any case, chances are these fibers have been through a lot more washing and temperature variations before they're made into a sweater. Which means that unless you really overdo it with washing, all of the shrinkage potential of recycled cashmere is gone by the time it becomes the sweater you're holding in your hands.

While on a non-recycled sweater , there is almost always a slight shrinkage of material during the first washes.

6. Conclusion and opinion

If we summarize this comparison point by point, this is what it gives.

• On softness: Sweaters are hard to decide because there are so many variables at play, but recycled does well .
• On the pilling: the classic fiber wins.
• On the puffiness: classic fiber wins.
• On heat: classic fiber wins (hands down)
• On stability: recycled fiber wins.
• On price: Unless my memory serves me right, recycled fiber wins.
• On the environmental impact: a priori the question does not arise, recycled fiber wins.
  

My personal opinion is that recycled cashmere is a good option. Less luxurious, less high-end, it still surprises with some unexpected qualities.

Let's say more precisely that it is a very acceptable compromise.

If you want cashmere, and you're not a textile obsessive, I think you'll be more than satisfied.

The only pitfall for me is that despite a slightly lower price, this product remains in competition with mid-range cashmeres. That is to say, these are products positioned for a clientele looking for a certain quality, and consequently, the recycled version suffers a little from the comparison in this market segment.

On the other hand, if this type of process were to become more widespread in the entry-level market, while maintaining a similar level of quality, I think that in a long-term comparison, recycled cashmere would have absolutely nothing to envy "cheap" cashmere in terms of pure quality.

While being a much more responsible alternative to the latter.

I am delighted to see this offering grow, and while it may not be aimed at the most demanding among us, it paves the way for future innovations that may allow us to continue wearing cashmere while minimising our environmental impact.

Bonus: Asket's answer to my questions

Because it's nice to have brands that respond transparently about their technical processes, here is what the Asket representative told me when I asked her if there were any quality differences between the two sweaters, before carrying out the test.

For non-English speakers, I can summarize the answer as follows:

The Asket brand says it has taken into account the drawbacks that recycled cashmere could pose, particularly in terms of durability, due to short fibres.

She wanted to offer a durable, high-quality knit, without compromising on a “virgin” (non-recycled) fiber.

Its Italian spinner, with 10 years of expertise in the field of recycled wool, is said to have adjusted the spinning technique to compensate for the short length of the fibres in order to create a quality yarn (and therefore a knit).

The brand claims (on a humorous note) to be able to pride itself on having the purest cashmere in the recycled cashmere industry, reaching 97% of the fiber for 3% of lamb's wool, compared to 96% of cashmere for most brands.