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Why are cashmere shawls expensive?
Cashmere is more expensive and sought after has to do with the quality of the fiber. Well it’s
typically more expensive than other wool. Mentioned below are some of the reasons of
cashmere shawls being expensive.
The King of Fibres
Cashmere has been called the ‘king of fibres’ for a reason, since it is the most luxurious and
treasured of all yarns. The journey of Cashmere begins in the highlands of Kashmir, where
indigenous capra hircus goats reside. The sub-zero temperatures, soaring altitudes and
harsh winds trigger the growth of the diamond fibre, which comes from the downy undercoat
of these rare species of goats. The name cashmere comes from the old spelling of Kashmir,
which is the source of origin for this luxurious yarn. According to the historian Michelle
Maskiell, who is also the author of “Consuming Kashmir: Shawls and Empires, 1500-2000,”
describes that from the 1500s to as late as the early 1900s, Iranian and Indian emperors used
Kashmiri shawls in political and religious settings. For instance, in a Mughal Indian court,
presenting a Cashmere shawl represented a hierarchy.
Blood, sweat, toil
Cashmere fibres are manually sorted, cleaned and hand spun before the weaving process
begins. The undercoat of these coats that is sheared or collected is a greasy mess and has
dandruff and other impurities. To clean it and sort out these unwanted elements, it takes
longer than you can imagine. The local herders carefully comb the hair to harvest the
undercoat and then the good fibre is separated from the bad, which then completes the
sorting procedure. It is only then that the weaving begins, which is equally demanding and
painstaking. It takes several months to a year for these gifted artisans to work their magic on
wooden looms and weave a masterpiece.
The prized capra hircus goats
As we already know these goats are rare and found in the higher climes, but what’s even
more rare is the limited quantity of the fleece it produces. A single cashmere goat does not
produce this sheer fibre in bulk. You can get anywhere between six and eight ounces from a
cashmere goat initially, but once the fibre is processed, you are not likely to get more than
four ounces back. In fact, in comparison to yearly production of sheep wool, which is over
2,000,000 metric tons, the production of Cashmere in a year is about 6,500 metric tons
annually. That’s a big reason why this fibre is so expensive!
Superb quality that’ll win you over
Now that you already know its origin and how labour-intensive the process is, you can
assume the quality of this fibre. Did you know? A cashmere fibre is less than 18.5 microns in
diameter. Yes, you heard it right. Let’s put things into perspective now; the human hair is
about 80 microns, so cashmere is four times finer than human hair. Besides, the fiber isn’t
straight, so when it’s woven, it doesn’t itch. This is the reason why it is also preferred as a
baby blanket, who feel comfortable in its warmth and softness.Oh, and there’s another
interesting fact! Cashmere is up to 8 times warmer than clothes made from sheep well. We
did know it’s a natural insulator, but this does come as a surprise. What’s best is that it’s
much lighter than wool!
As timeless as ever
When you invest in a Cashmere product, you know you are buying it for a lifetime. It’s a
timeless fashion choice and will never get old, since it exudes elegance and class like no
other. It’s the epitome of sustainable fashion, so you know your money is going in the right
place, since it’s the blood, sweat, tears of the artisans that has gone into making your
product. And like we earlier said, it’s like wine. Why? Because it gets softer with each wash,
just like wine gets better with age. Isn’t that a valid comparison? Invest in a Cashmere
product and reap rewards for life. After all, as John Varvatos, an American contemporary
designer puts it, ‘style is timeless. It transcends generations – it’s enduring. If you’re
thinking about fashion, it’s of the moment. And that doesn’t mean that it’s not important at
times to embrace trends and that type of thing, but style is less about trends than it is about
how you carry yourself’.
So if you want to enjoy the benefit of wearing cashmere clothes be prepared to pay up
a bigger sum in order to get the best quality.
