Luxury Cashmere: Past And Present

Most people have heard of cashmere or have owned a cashmere garment. But what is it that makes cashmere so special?

Well, the most well known aspect of cashmere wool is undoubtedly its texture, which many people can recognise to the touch, even if they do not count themselves as anything like experts on fabrics and textiles. The wool, as well as being soft to the touch, is also extremely strong compared to other wools, and is also lighter and warmer. Because of these characteristics, cashmere is popular for its ability to provide warmth without adding volume as a layer of clothing; it is lightweight yet insulating, soft to the touch yet strong.

The name of the wool comes from the 19th century English spelling of Kashmir, the northwest region of the Indian subcontinent, where the wool used to produce shawls was imported from Tibet [this wool was known as pashmina, which is the Persian and Hindi name for the fiber. In England, pashmina tends to refer to extremely fine cashmere fibre, made from the wool of the pashmina goat, which is a hardy breed only to be found in the high altitudes of the Himalayas].

During the 18th and 19th centuries Kashmir had a flourishing industry which worked toward producing cashmere shawls from the goat wool which was bought in from Tibet and elsewhere. In fact, the industry was so important to the region as a whole that treaties were signed following numerous wars which controlled the import and export of both the raw materials and the finished products.

In the early 19th century, the French sent the first Cashmere shawl back to Paris, and upon its arrival something of a frenzy broke out. In fact the garment quickly became an "It" item within the courts of 19th century France, and a French company was the first in Europe to begin importing Cashmere into Europe.

For numerous years, the French continued to refine the type and quantity of wool which they were importing, though before long the textile industry was importing Tibetan and Tartary cross goats directly from the region of Kashmir in order to refine for themselves the quality and type of the wool. Soon, French wool manufacturers were selecting and breeding the goats, in their attempt to improve the characteristics and yields of wool which they could sheer from their animals.

Only thirty years after the first shawl was sent back to Paris from Kashmir, the weaving of shawls using yarn that had been created by the French was a large industry in Scotland. The Scottish government offered a sizeable reward to anyone who can create cashmere in Scotland based on the methods used in France. This was achieved by the mid 19th century, and from that time onwards Scotland too has woven the yarn of goats native to the Himalayas and Kashmir for the use in Cashmere clothing.