The Cashmere Guide
The cashmere
guide.
Not all cashmere is created equal. Understanding what separates a $60 sweater from a $300 one — and what makes the price worth paying — comes down to a handful of measurable factors. This is everything you need to know.
The fiber behind
the fabric.
Cashmere comes from the soft undercoat of the cashmere goat — specifically the fine, downy fiber that grows beneath the coarser outer guard hairs. Each goat produces only about 150 grams of usable fiber per year, which is why a quality cashmere sweater takes the fleece of three to five animals to make.
The fiber is harvested in spring, when the goat naturally sheds its winter coat. It’s either combed out by hand — the gentler method that preserves fiber length — or sheared. After harvest, the fine undercoat fibers are separated from the coarser guard hairs through a process called dehairing. The resulting fiber is then spun into yarn and knitted or woven into garments.
The most important quality factors — fiber length, fineness, and cleanliness — are all set at this stage. No amount of finishing work can compensate for poor raw fiber.
What “Grade A”
actually means.
Cashmere is graded primarily on two measurements: fiber diameter (microns) and fiber length (millimeters). These two numbers determine almost everything about how the finished garment performs.
Diameter under 19 microns. Length over 36mm. The finest, longest fibers — minimal pilling, maximum drape, softens with wear. All Quinn cashmere is Grade A.
Diameter 19–21 microns. Shorter fiber length. More prone to pilling. Widely used in mid-market cashmere — acceptable quality but noticeably different over time.
Diameter over 21 microns. Coarser and shorter. Often blended with other fibers to reduce cost. Common in low-price cashmere and “cashmere blend” garments.
Inner Mongolia and the
geography of quality.
Cashmere is produced in Mongolia, China, Afghanistan, Iran, Scotland, and other regions. The quality varies significantly based on climate. The cashmere goat’s fine undercoat develops in direct response to cold — a biological adaptation to harsh winters. The more extreme the temperature differential between seasons, the finer and longer the resulting fiber.
Considered the world’s finest source. Altitude and extreme cold (winters reaching –40°C) produce exceptional fiber fineness and length. The same region Quinn has sourced from since 2003. Herding families have practiced selective breeding for fiber quality over generations.
High quality, similar climate conditions to Inner Mongolia. Slightly different fiber characteristics. Used by many premium cashmere brands and considered comparable to Inner Mongolian fiber for most applications.
Afghanistan, Iran, and Scotland produce cashmere with different fiber profiles — often coarser, which affects drape and pilling. Legitimate cashmere, but typically grades lower. Scottish cashmere has a long heritage of quality finishing and dyeing, though the raw fiber is often imported.
How to identify
quality cashmere.
Cashmere is one of the most frequently adulterated fibers in the textile market. “Cashmere” labels don’t always mean 100% Grade A fiber. Here’s what to look for.
Should read “100% Cashmere.” “Cashmere blend” means it’s mixed with other fibers — often wool, acrylic, or cotton. Not necessarily bad, but it’s not pure cashmere and shouldn’t be priced as such.
Quality cashmere has a distinctive cloud-like weight — light but substantial. Very lightweight cashmere is often single-ply or blended. Very heavy cashmere may be multi-ply or mixed with wool.
Rub the garment gently between your fingers for 30 seconds. Low-grade cashmere will start to pill immediately. Grade A fiber will not. This works in a store — it’s a legitimate quality check.
Two-ply is better than one-ply for durability and drape. Beyond two-ply, additional plies add weight but not quality. All Quinn cashmere is at least two-ply.
100% Grade A cashmere cannot be produced and sold profitably below approximately $150–$200 retail for a sweater. Anything significantly cheaper is almost certainly blended, lower-grade, or both.
Brands that source Grade A fiber from Inner Mongolia or Outer Mongolia will say so. If a brand is vague about origin, that’s a signal worth noting. Transparency about sourcing correlates strongly with fiber quality.
Making it last.
The difference between cashmere that looks great after ten years and cashmere that looks tired after two is almost entirely about care. The fiber itself is durable — what damages it is how it’s treated.
Hand wash in cool water with a gentle detergent. Lay flat to dry — never hang or tumble dry. Dry cleaning with harsh solvents degrades the fiber over time; if you use a dry cleaner, specify organic or wet cleaning methods.
Normal with any natural fiber, particularly in the first few wears as loose surface fibers work out. Grade A cashmere pills less than lower grades and typically improves after the first few washes. Remove pills with a cashmere comb — don’t pull them off by hand.
Fold, don’t hang. Store clean only — moths are attracted to natural fiber with residues. Sealed garment bags with cedar blocks for seasonal storage. The investment in proper storage pays for itself in extended garment life.
