About Us
Inner Mongolia · Since 2003
Cashmere,
done right.
We've worked directly with cashmere goat breeders in Inner Mongolia — the only place on earth these animals can produce fiber of this quality — since 2003. No middlemen. No compromises. The best cashmere there is, brought directly to you.
Inner Mongolia · Alashan Plateau
Our origin
Farm to
closet.
In 2003, Jean Kolloff started what we call the farm-to-closet model — building a direct relationship with the herding families of Inner Mongolia who produce the world's most coveted fiber. That relationship took years to build. It shapes everything we make.
The goats whose coats become your sweater are hand-combed — not sheared — every spring by the families we've partnered with for over two decades. A gentle process. The fiber that comes off is Grade A only: the longest strands, the finest micron count, the least likely to pill.
In 2012, we launched Quinn to take the supply chain and quality standards we'd spent a decade perfecting and build a contemporary brand around them. Family-run. New York-founded. Inner Mongolia-sourced.
The founder
Jean Kolloff.
Quinn is Jean Kolloff's company. She founded Qi Cashmere in 2003 as a factory-direct cashmere house, and launched Quinn in 2012 to build a contemporary collection on the same supply chain. She came to it from the other side of the industry — Burberry, then senior vice president at Kenneth Cole — and trained at Pratt Institute.
The sourcing decision that defines the company was hers, and she made it in person. She travelled to Inner Mongolia, met the suppliers, and concluded that the fiber she wanted existed in one place and nowhere else. "We searched for similar species of goat in an attempt to copy the hair from this animal in other countries or even domestically," she told China Daily in 2019, "but to no avail." The decision was to work only in Inner Mongolia — and more than two decades on, that hasn't changed.
In June 2019 she testified before the U.S. Trade Representative on exactly that point, arguing that the Alashan fiber has no substitute source. Her testimony is quoted below, and there is more on her background here.
On the record
"Our company was established in 2003 as an exclusive manufacturer of quality cashmere garments and accessories… Cashmere is farmed exclusively in Inner Mongolia from the Alasan breed of goat. They only thrive in this region and are considered the gold of China."
Jean Kolloff, founder and CEO, Quinn Apparel — sworn testimony before the U.S. Trade Representative, Section 301 hearing, June 17, 2019 (official transcript, pp. 19–21)
How we make it
From the goat's back
to yours.
Every spring, the herding families we work with hand-comb the fiber from the goats' undercoats. Not sheared — combed. The process doesn't harm the animal, and it preserves the integrity of each strand. Shearing cuts the fiber; combing releases it intact.
Only Grade A fiber makes it through — the longest, finest strands from the undercoat. Fiber length is the single biggest quality indicator in cashmere. Longer strands interlock more tightly during spinning, which means less pilling, better shape retention, and a garment that gets softer over time rather than worse.
The raw fiber is cleaned, carded, and spun into yarn at our partner facility — the same facility we've used for over a decade. Dyeing uses eco-conscious processes throughout: reduced water consumption, no harsh chemicals, no shortcuts on quality control.
Each Quinn garment is knitted by skilled artisans who understand the material. Cashmere is forgiving when handled correctly and unforgiving when it isn't. The finishing — blocking, linking, pressing — determines whether a garment holds its shape for two seasons or twenty years.
No department store. No wholesaler. No unnecessary markup between the people who made it and the person who wears it. That's always been the point of the farm-to-closet model — and the reason a Quinn sweater costs what a Quinn sweater costs, not three times that.
The making
Built by people
who know the material.
The facility where Quinn garments are made is in Inner Mongolia — the same region where the fiber originates. That proximity matters. The workers who knit, link, and finish these pieces have spent careers working with cashmere specifically. It's not transferable expertise.
We've maintained the same manufacturing relationships for years. Not because switching is hard, but because consistency in craft produces consistency in quality. The people who make your sweater know your sweater.
What we stand for
Our commitments.
Our fiber is hand-combed from the goats' undercoats — a process that doesn't harm the animals. The herding families we work with have every incentive to keep their herds healthy; the quality of the fiber is directly tied to the health of the animal. Cashmere is a renewable resource that provides livelihoods for these communities.
We do not use fur — full stop. Any leather in our collections is sourced exclusively as a byproduct of the food industry. We also incorporate vegan leather alternatives in every collection where leather appears. Our CEO is vegan. These aren't marketing positions — they reflect how we actually run this company.
The most sustainable garment is one you keep wearing. Every Quinn piece is designed and constructed to be part of your wardrobe for years, not seasons. We use Grade A long-fiber cashmere precisely because it holds up better over time — which means less replacing, less waste, less cost per wear over the life of the garment.