Cashmere Quality & Features
Not all cashmere is created equal. For our cashmere launch, we wanted to make the highest quality cashmere knits that are ethical and sustainably crafted. Here's a closer look at the high-quality features of our cashmere knits and our ethical cashmere production. Shop our cashmere launch below.
The Ethics of Cashmere
Heritage & Reverence
The artisans and herders that we chose to partner with have been living and working with the cashmere goats crafting cashmere for generations. Their relationship is an important part of their culture going back generations, and Wild Rose & Sparrow is proud to partner with and support these artisans’ work continuing the longstanding traditions of their ancestors.
Shearing Timing and Frequency
The timing of the shearing of cashmere goats is crucial for their well-being. Because the cashmere fibers are meant specifically to keep the cashmere goats warm in the intense cold of the Gobi desert winters, shearing the goats too early leaves them exposed to the cold, while shearing the goats too late leaves them prone to sunburn.
Unlike other brands that shear their goats year round to yield more cashmere and increase production, our partners shear their goats only once a year, in the early spring, when it is optimal for the goats' health and the quality of the cashmere.
Due to the nature of this process, production runs are very limited and our cashmere pieces will be created in very small batches.
Responsible Grazing & Environmental Conservation
The detrimental overgrazing of other cashmere brands and the surging demand for cashmere has damaged much of Inner Mongolia's grasslands and delicate ecosystem.
Our cashmere goat herders employ responsible grazing techniques to maintain the health of the pastures, such as rotational grazing and land management strategies as part of a long-term strategy to care for their land.
To minimize the environmental impact of the creation of the cashmere, they also reduce water usage throughout their creation process and use environmentally-friendly dyeing methods.
Cashmere Quality:
Fiber Length
Fiber length is one of the factors that affects a cashmere garment’s softness: the longer the fiber, the softer it will be. Longer fibers also reduce pilling. For these reasons, a high-quality cashmere garment will feature a longer cashmere fiber, whereas lower-quality cashmere will feature shorter fibers, as they shear their cashmere goats more often to make more garments instead of a small batch of high-quality garments.
Cashmere Ply
The ply of the cashmere indicates how many threads of cashmere were twisted together to make the yarn for the garment. When crafting a cashmere garment and choosing the ply, designers think of the texture they want for the garment as well as the durability: a lower ply will make lighter garment, but going too low, to 1-ply, is less durable. For this reason, it’s recommended to purchase cashmere garments that are 2-ply and higher. To ensure that our creations are durable, but keep the lightness and flowiness of the garments, we made our cashmere garments from 2-ply cashmere.
The Gauge
Our pieces are 12 gauge. The gauge refers to how dense the knit is and can range from 5 gauge and up. The higher the gauge, the denser and warmer the knit will be and the more expensive it will be to produce, as more cashmere is used. We chose 12 gauge for our pieces through many rounds of testing as that was the perfect gauge to lend the warmest knit and lightweight feel that was still breathable and cozy.
The Testing Process
In order to ensure the perfect fit of our cashmere designs and durability over time, we tested the cashmere samples ourselves for over a year, wearing them through our busy daily lives, washing them several times as needed from regular wears, and they retained their beautiful appearance with minimal to no pilling. These pieces are truly heritage pieces that will be beautiful, high-quality additions to your wardrobe for years to come.
