Inner Mongolia & The Alashan Goat
Inner Mongolia
and the Alashan goat.
Quinn has sourced cashmere from Inner Mongolia since 2003. Every piece we make starts here — on a plateau that sits at altitude, endures winters that reach –40°C, and produces fiber that cannot be replicated anywhere else on earth.
Why this place
and no other.
Inner Mongolia (officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) is a vast plateau in northern China that borders Mongolia to the north. It sits at an average elevation of 1,000 meters, with mountainous areas reaching considerably higher. The climate is defined by extremes: summers that can reach 38°C and winters that regularly hit –40°C in the northern and western regions.
This extreme seasonal temperature differential is not incidental to cashmere quality — it's the cause. The cashmere goat's undercoat is a biological adaptation to cold. The more severe the winter, the denser and finer the fiber that grows in response. A cashmere goat raised in a temperate climate grows a thin, coarser undercoat that produces lower-grade fiber. The same animal in Inner Mongolia grows the finest fiber commercially available.
The Alashan plateau specifically — in western Inner Mongolia, near the borders with Mongolia and the Gansu province — is considered the premium sourcing region. The altitude and continental climate at this location produce fiber that consistently grades higher than fiber from lower elevations or less extreme climates.
The breed that makes
the difference.
Not all cashmere goats are the same. The Alashan (also spelled Alashan or Alxa — 阿拉善白绒山羊) is a specific breed of cashmere goat indigenous to the Alashan plateau of western Inner Mongolia. It has been selectively bred by herding families over generations specifically for fiber quality — longer fiber, finer diameter, and crucially, white fiber.
The white coat of the Alashan is particularly significant. Cashmere goats produce fiber in white, brown, beige, and grey. White fiber is the only base that can be dyed accurately to any color — from pale blush to deep navy to bright red. Brown or grey fiber can only absorb colors darker than its natural base. The Alashan's predominantly white coat is the reason Quinn's full color range is possible, and why sourcing from this specific breed matters.
When Quinn's founder Jean Kolloff testified before the U.S. Trade Representative in June 2019, the State Department asked whether Mongolia could serve as an alternative source. The direct answer from the testimony: Mongolian cashmere is subpar to Inner Mongolian cashmere, and the goats in Mongolia are primarily brown and black — which rules out the bright and pale colorways that require white fiber. The Alashan breed does not exist in Mongolia.
Within the Alashan population, the most prized strain is the Alashan Left Banner white cashmere goat — 阿拉善左旗白绒山羊 — raised in the Left Banner region of western Inner Mongolia. The combination of altitude, extreme cold, and generations of selective breeding for white fiber has produced animals capable of yielding what the industry classifies as baby cashmere (婴儿羊绒): fiber fine enough to sit alongside the best the world produces. It is the benchmark by which Alashan cashmere is judged.
The people behind
the fiber.
The cashmere industry in Inner Mongolia is built on traditional nomadic herding practices that predate the modern textile industry by centuries. Herding families maintain their herds across the plateau, moving between seasonal grazing areas. The combing of fiber occurs in spring, when the goats naturally shed their winter undercoat — typically April through May.
Quinn has worked with the same herding community partners since 2003. This is not incidental. Long-term relationships in commodity supply chains create a different quality standard than spot-market purchasing. When a buyer returns year after year, the herder has both the incentive and the feedback loop to maintain quality. When a commodity buyer purchases anonymously on price alone, the incentive structure is different.
The Alashan breed is combed, not sheared. Hand-combing removes only the fine undercoat the animal sheds naturally, leaving the outer guard hairs intact. It's a slower, more labor-intensive process than shearing, but produces longer, cleaner fiber — and doesn't stress the animal in the way that shearing does. Quinn sources exclusively hand-combed fiber.
After combing, fiber is sorted and cleaned before dehairing — the mechanical process that separates the fine undercoat from any remaining coarser guard hairs. Quinn's Grade A specification (under 19 microns, over 36mm fiber length) means that a meaningful portion of even high-quality combed fiber doesn't make the cut. Quality is lost at every stage of selectivity.
Quinn sources directly from the herding communities rather than through commodity brokers. Direct sourcing is more expensive in terms of time and relationship management — it requires people on the ground and long-term commitments. The benefit is traceability: we know exactly where our fiber comes from, because we built the relationship rather than buying anonymously on a commodities market.
From the plateau
to your wardrobe.
The journey from fiber to finished Quinn garment crosses several stages — each of which represents a quality decision, not just a production step. The fiber grade established at combing and dehairing cannot be improved later. The dyeing quality established at the yarn stage determines how the piece holds color for the next decade. The construction decisions made at the knitting stage determine how the garment wears.
Combing — Inner Mongolia
Fiber combed from the Alashan herd in April–May. Sorted, cleaned, and baled by the herding families and their local cooperative partners.
Dehairing and spinning — China
Raw combed fiber sent to dehairing facilities that mechanically separate the fine undercoat from coarser guard hair. Grade A fiber separated, spun into yarn, and yarn-dyed in the target colorways for the upcoming season.
Knitting and construction
Yarn knitted into garment panels using fully fashioned construction. Panels linked, blocked to final measurements, inspected by hand. Finished garments shipped to Quinn's fulfillment center.
You
The piece that arrives has been in development for 8 months. The fiber from the plateau in May is the sweater in your hands in October. Care for it accordingly — it has a longer history than most things you own.