We will soon enter this mid-season period where we never know what to dress.
Too hot or too cold in the same day, you are tired of alternating layers of clothing (the famous technique onion layering).
Stop everything! The thermo-regulating materials are there. If it's cold, they keep you warm, if it's hot, they cool you down. This is the case for wool, but also for cashmere, which is rarely discussed on BonneGueule.
Here is a dusting off of this noble material and the discovery of a new little brand: Hircus. Good reading !
The cashmere harvest: but where do they get the goats?
The Capra Hisca goat protects itself from the cold with thick wool, itself reinforced with fine down. When Spring arrives, the goats are combed and the down is collected. This represents between 150 and 250 grams of cashmere per goat per year.
China and Mongolia are the main producers of cashmere, which is where most of the cashmere distributed around the world comes from. More than 10,000 tonnes for China and 2,700 tonnes for Mongolia even though global production is between 13,000 and 18,000 tonnes of raw cashmere.
Compared to the world's annual wool production which amounts to more than 2 million tonnes, this is very little, more than 100 times less than wool .
With 250 grams of material per goat, this Hermès coat weighs a whole herd!
Cashmere spinning and weaving
This down is then milled (washed in tubs to give it the appearance of cotton) to recover the finest hairs. Here, the hairs are divided into “grades” (A, B or C) which allow them to be classified according to their thickness and quality.
They are then spun into long threads and woven into a roll of fabric. This spinning stage is important because it defines the thickness of the fabric. The resulting wire remains fragile and will be twisted to solidify everything.
It is the number of threads twisted together that measures the thickness of the cashmere. From 2 to 24 threads: the higher the number, the thicker the sweater will be, and therefore warmer.
The material can be dyed and is then cut and sewn to create a sweater, or a scarf, or a coat...
Why such a price difference?
We will understand why some brands charge more than 700 euros for their sweaters while others sell sweaters for 50 euros.
An Hermès cashmere sweater costing 890 euros.
Let's compare like with like: let's start with a classic sweater. Several factors influence the price:
The origin of cashmere
It is commonly accepted that the best cashmere comes from Mongolia and from a very specific species of goat. The trick of some brands will be to mix cashmere from different origins to lower the production cost of the sweater. The brands that are more demanding on herd health and breeding conditions will charge more for their cashmere.
The fineness of the fiber
As we have seen, it is the attribution of grades to cashmere which makes it possible to determine its fineness (it is measured in microns).
- Grade A corresponds to 15 microns thickness. The highest quality accessible is that chosen by luxury houses and high-end brands (but not always).
- Grade B concerns 19 micron bristles, which are less flexible.
- Grade C reaches 30 microns, it is the thinnest and least soft wool (relatively speaking, we are still talking about cashmere, so it remains honorable).
The Zegna brand has succeeded in producing a wool even finer than cashmere ( 11 microns ) which would almost make cashmere look like rough wool (no, I'm exaggerating). But it was Loro Piana who broke the record with a wool of 10.6 microns. The brand also created baby cashmere made from harvesting down from kids (even finer than that of adults). We have devoted an article to Loro Piana if you would like to learn more.
Another perspective from a knitwear professional
Note from Benoit: in the comments, Philippe, who works in cashmere, provided some details to challenge the content of this article. Allow me to report his very interesting comments.
Your article is interesting, there would probably be 2 or 3 things to refine, but we should especially revise the part which talks about grades A, BC and cashmere which can go up to 30 microns in diameter in grade C.
First of all, grades A, B, C do not correspond to any standard. It is a commercial name mainly used by Chinese thread manufacturers. But you can put whatever you want behind these letters, and above all, no lab will be able to confirm that your hair belongs to this or that grade. Moreover, in certain Asian tourist markets and other bazaars, you find these grades and by asking a little, you will learn that:
- grade A = 100% cashmere
- grade B: there is cashmere, but also something else, often wool or silk.
- grade C: it looks like cashmere, but there is none. In general, it is 100% viscose (which also has a very nice hand).
Secondly, the 3 levels that you indicate (15, 19 and 30 microns) are disconnected from reality. The ambiguity comes from the fact that no standard defines the maximum thickness of a hair for it to be entitled to the name "cashmere". However, there are still some rules defined by the spinning profession and which can be found on their site (CCMI - Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute): to benefit from the cashmere designation, you need a hair that does not exceed not 19 microns on average.
In other words, grade C does not exist.
Third, there is the reality of the market. Having done a certain number of tests on the French market (buying a sweater and sending it to the IFTH for analysis of the thickness of the pile), I have never seen cashmere greater than 16.5 microns. And they told me they hadn't seen any greater than 17 microns. In fact, the majority of the market is between 15 and 16.5 microns.
I deduce from this that almost the entire French market (that I know of) is therefore grade A. ...
In short, you understand my reluctance when I read your guide on grades. I think it would be better to talk about the 3 notions which actually make it possible to determine the quality of a cashmere hair: thickness, length and whiteness.
A pile of 15.5 microns, 40 mm long and extra white initially will be deemed to be of much better quality (and much more expensive) than a pile of 16.5 microns, 20 mm and gray.
The thinnest one I had the opportunity to test was a “baby cashmere” from Loro Piana at 13.5 microns. Please note "baby cashmere" is a trademark registered by Loro Piana.
€970 per sweater.
To be reserved for aesthetes because the sweater would present a high risk of pilling, the hairs - the length of which I did not have tested - would be very short because they were harvested before they had time to grow to maturity.
The number of threads used
We use 2 to 24 threads, which determines the density of the material. The thicker and denser the sweater, the longer it will last. The wires braided together will deform less over time and be stronger.
Cashmere can be really thick depending on the number of threads used.
Cashmere gauge
It will determine the spacing of the stitches between them. A gauge 12 corresponds to a very tight mesh and a gauge 6 will give a wider mesh.
Cashmere grading
It corresponds to the ratio between the weight and the length of the thread. The higher the count, the finer and higher quality the cashmere will be. The titration 26 is the most common but some brands will push the titration to 48.
How to recognize good cashmere?
Doing research on the brand allows you to learn about the quality of the products and the expertise of the brand. But also :
- Use your keen eye to observe the stitch of the fabric (like for jeans): regular and tight (if you are using a classic gauge).
- Trying on the sweater should convince you that this sweater will last over time without becoming deformed. If its overall drape is not convincing and creates bulges everywhere, you know what you have to do.
- The finishes on the sleeves and collar must not have any seams. In fact, it is remeshing that must be carried out and not sewing. In which case, you risk having a sweater that twists and which will no longer look the same over time.
How to maintain cashmere?
We will have heard everything about caring for cashmere! Yet it comes down to very little.
First of all, yes, cashmere pills almost systematically after the first few wears. And the opposite would be worrying!
For what ? Pills are in fact the excess material that is released following the friction of the fabric stitches between them. It is a natural process that proves that cashmere is new. This has nothing to do with the quality of the cashmere wool.
A pilled cashmere (left) with its pills removed (right)
This is also true for other wools. Only merino escapes this phenomenon since it is a combed wool, already removed from this excess material.
How to remove pills from a sweater?
- If it is a fine wool, the phenomenon will fade after a few washes,
- On thicker wool, beyond 6 threads, a pilling comb will handle it.
Here is version 2.0 of the pilling comb.
Now that you've worn your sweater well, you want to wash it (hopefully). Wash cold, machine or hand. Do not brutalize the material.
If you choose to machine wash, be sure to slip your sweater into a pillowcase or laundry bag to avoid friction.
Once washed well, dry the sweater flat (like your chunky knit cardigan). A light ironing is not contraindicated but, please, treat it with love and it will return it to you for the next decades.
A look at the sweaters from Hircus
The Hircus brand was born in 2013 with the aim of refreshing the cashmere sweater offering.
We find this spirit in the range of colors offered and we found the prices very well positioned: around 130 euros.
The Hircus range is made up of 6 sweaters: a trucker collar, a shawl collar, a round neck, a v-neck, a cardigan, a sweater with shoulder pads all available in several colors.
The clear advantage that I see after this first look at the collection is the work on the details which bring character to the cashmere sweater which can quickly become boring and basic. The brand offers sweaters that go beyond the usual V-neck.
Concerning the quality of cashmere, we will see if everyone has learned their lesson.
Hircus offers a grade A 2-ply cashmere, gauge 12 and 26NM count. Translation: this cashmere is carefully selected (Grade A and 26NM count) with a tight mesh that will keep you warm (gauge 12). By the way, it is very appreciable that Hircus gives all these details.
I can confirm that it is silky to the touch and very pleasant to wear. The little side effect is that everyone will suddenly start touching you for any reason, just to caress the material (little tip for Valentine's Day).
Presentation of the “Chuluun” sweater by Hircus
Rather than taking simple photos of the sweater, I had the idea of offering you a complete outfit to analyze together how to build a silhouette.
To be honest, I have a particular affection for clothes that emphasize the shoulder line.
Visually, this translates into details like buttons or epaulette tabs (seen on trench coats). I chose to present the Chuluun sweater which is a sweater with shoulder pads. I took it in beige because it's a natural color that I like and which gives beautiful reflections to the light.
The construction of the outfit is based on the color recall of the shoes and the sweater.
The sweater hangs nicely, except for the presence of this fold towards the waistband of the pants, but that doesn't bother me. This is a size L for those interested 😉
The risk with such dark pants would have been to achieve too much contrast between the colors. But here, I decided to use the gray inserts to darken the top of the outfit and better tie the sweater and pants together. Exactly as for a color reminder .
If I had worn pants in the same shades as the sweater, the outfit would have been more monochrome and the shoulder pads would have been a poor detail, not at all valued.
The previous photo does not reveal the colors enough, here is a more lit photo and we can thank the sun which immediately makes the sweater stand out in the outfit
To keep a military inspiration with the epaulettes, the outfit is simple: no accessories, although a pretty watch would have had its place. Instead, impeccably cut pants from Patrons (which I will introduce to you very soon) and a solid pair of bi-material combat boots from Heschung (summer Gingko model purchased 2 years ago).
The definitive opinion on the Hircus brand
A great initiative on the part of these gentlemen from Hircus who, in my eyes, have given a little new air to the cashmere offering, at a reasonable price range. The perverse effect of the market which pushes prices down is to make us believe that paying more for cashmere would be pure madness. But it is a material that is definitely worth its price.
There are no secrets for sustainable cashmere that keeps its promises of warmth and softness; you have to know how to hide the ever more tempting (and often tricky) offer from certain textile giants.
No new models at the moment, the sweaters are on sale and I don't yet know when the new models will come out, but this brings the price of the sweaters down to 100 euros for the most part.
What the brand can improve
Many colors are very difficult to use, because they are too bright, too colorful. Aubergine, burgundy and anthracite colors deserve to be developed, as well as a wider palette of blue (because I love blue).
Other clothing ideas around cashmere
Have you become passionate about cashmere? So don’t hesitate to share it with your feet. I discovered 100% cashmere socks and they're a bit like caviar for your feet, believe me.
