What is cashmere - what is this fabric? Properties, types, advice on the choice and care of the cloth

In China, cashmere is called "soft gold". Surprisingly thin, soft and tender, like the skin of a newborn baby, the fabric is highly valued.

From cashmere they sew coats, suits, sweaters, hats, stoles and shawls. They turn out to be unusually soft, cozy.

What is cashmere?

In the highlands of the Himalayas, in the north-west of the Hindustan Peninsula, goats live giving the easiest fluff. Squeeze it and spin learned for a long time, from a thin thread for several centuries weave a light and soft fabric.

The name "cashmere" comes from the word Kashmir - this is the name of this geographical area.

Important! The cashmere thread is unusually thin, it is 2-3 times thinner than the human hair, so the products made of it are light and airy - the shawl or scarf can be threaded through the ring.

What is cashmere made of?

The peculiarity of the fluff, which is the raw material for cashmere, is that it can be collected only in the spring, during the molting of goats. Collect it manually, one goat can give only about 100 grams of tender and valuable down. To tie a thin shawl, you need a fleece of four or five animals. For a fabric from which it is possible to sew a coat, they will give down their 10-15 Tibetan goats. That's why cashmere products are so dearly valued.

The uniqueness of raw materials is that such goats live only in mountainous regions of China, Mongolia, Pakistan, and India. All attempts to breed these animals in Australia, Scotland, New Zealand were unsuccessful - it was not possible to obtain such purity, subtlety and ease of fluff. Apparently, the reason for the formation in animals of a special thickness of the undercoat, capable of preserving heat, is in climatic conditions, when a hot summer is adjacent to a cold winter.

Special properties of cashmere

The lightness of fine yarn has already been said. Proceeding from the thickness (if this word is appropriate here), cashmere yarn and materials made from it are divided into two types:

• Pashmina;
• cashmere.

To make thinner pashmina, which goes to shawls and expensive thin fabrics, the villi are no more than 15 microns (for comparison, the thickness of a human hair is 50-75 microns).

Cashmere, which is made of villi thicker than 15 microns, creates costume fabrics, yarn.

The main properties of cashmere

• Softness - cashmere surpasses even silk, its fibers are much thinner.
• Hypoallergenic - the down of the Tibetan goat does not cause allergies, and dust mites do not grow in the tissue.
• Very low thermal conductivity, hence the property of the finest-looking cashmere products to warm a person.
• Durable, despite the fineness, wear-resistant. Do not roll down for a long time.

Cashmere has medicinal properties: dry tissue heat favorably affects the joints of a person, the spine. The skin will become soft and elastic due to the wax-lanolin contained in the fibers. Thin fibers have a beneficial effect on the human nervous system, warm and soothe.

Products from cashmere are often found in the collections of famous fashion houses, on the catwalks during high fashion shows. Popular movie and show business stars, politicians and businessmen often choose cashmere products that are thin but comfortable.

Worthy of the Queen

"This is Pashmina!" - with these words, threw a thin embroidered shawl over the shoulders of Josephine's beloved Napoleon Bonaparte. According to legend, he brought a wonderful cloth to Europe from Egypt.

Pashmina, cashmere in the XIX century became a necessary addition to the wardrobe of all women of that time.

Now cashmere is sewing coats and suits, trousers, jackets, scarves and stoles, dresses and skirts. Popular knitted products are sweaters and cardigans, sweaters and turtlenecks, shawls and hats.

A cheaper fabric, called kashmiri wool, is created not from down, but from the wool of a Tibetan goat. It is used when sewing a coat - it is thin, but warm.

Types of Cashmere

The main classification of the material is based on the type of products that are made from it. Proceeding from this distinguish:

• Coats of cashmere;
• Costume fabric;
• Both sides .

In addition, there are Mongolian cashmere and eco-ischemia.

Mongolian cashmere is yarn and fabric made from the fluff of Chinese and Mongolian goats. Products from them do not stretch, do not roll down.

Ecochemistry is called a material, consisting of 80% of polyester and 20% of viscose. It has a low price, but also does not possess the qualities of natural cashmere.

The coat and costume fabric includes 30% cashmere and 70% wool, for example, alpaca. The material has a smooth and soft surface, silky.

A double-sided coat fabric is sewn with expensive coats. It is two layers of fabric, glued or fused together. Both sides of this fabric are facial. When sewing a coat, there is no need to sew the lining.

Choosing cashmere

Cost cashmere is expensive, therefore, choosing a cashmere coat or sweater, it is worth knowing the secrets how to distinguish an expensive thing from a fake.

• Colour. Products made from natural cashmere will not be bright, the goat's goose is white, gray, black or brown. Even when staining white threads they have a smoky shade.
• Heat. When you squeeze the genuine fabric you will feel the heat.
• Thin villi on the surface - they are characteristic only of natural cashmere.

Guarantee that you acquire a real thing from cashmere, will help a small list of well-known brands:

• Brunello Cucinelli - jersey, suits and jackets, ties.
• Berg & Berg - knitwear.
• Kiton - suits, jackets, gloves, ties.

Care for cashmere

The longevity of the product will depend on the proper care of it:

• Cashmere forms pellets only on the bend, so fold up stoles and shawls carefully, and clothes should be stored on the shoulders in a molten form.
• Do not wear things from cashmere all the time, let them rest for a few days.
• Wash manually, dry, slightly wring out, in a straightened horizontal form, do not iron.
• You can remove the pellets by gently pruning them or removing them using a special machine.

Performing simple requirements, you will be happy to wear things that store the warmth of Tibetan goats.

Conclusion

We hope that we answered the questions: what is cashmere, cashmere composition and what cashmere makes of.