IT ALL BEGINS AT THE STEPPES OF INNER MONGOLIA
Before you can put on your sweater made from 100% cashmere, a long process has to be completed. We start at the beautiful Inner Mongolian steppes where the cashmere goats live. The climate on the Steppes of Inner Mongolia is often harsh, so the cashmere goats have developed two different coat layers – an undercoat consisting of fine hairs with insulating properties, and an outer layer that protects the undercoat. The cashmere yarn is made of fibres from the undercoat, covering the area from the neck to the belly.
SPRING MEANS SHEARING
Every spring, the goats naturally shed their coats as the weather gets warmer. This means it is time to trim the goats and comb the fibres. This process does not hurt the goats and removing the coats does not mean that the goats will go cold.
SEPARATING THE FIBRES
It is now time to separate the long fibres from the short. The longer the fibre, the better the quality. We only use grade ‘A’ quality, which makes your sweater more resistant, softer and more durable, and will also mean that the sweater will generate less pilling. The equation is easy: if you invest in great cashmere quality, you will increase the longevity of your sweater.
DYING AND SPINNING THE YARNS
The next stage is the dying process and the spinning process. Once the fibres have been dyed, they will be spun into yarn. We choose our seasonal colours from our yarn supplier’s stock, this way we avoid dying and producing extra yarn. The yarn we use is OEKO-TEX-certified yarn and all our yarn suppliers are members of SFA (Sustainable Fibres Alliance). The SFA aims to promote a global sustainability standard for cashmere production.
LET THE KNITTING BEGIN
Once the yarn has reached the knitting factory, it will be knitted into the various pieces that comprise a sweater. This process takes place on new German knitting machines. The different pieces are then sewn together by highly specialised sewing staff. The final step is to sew in a neck label, a wash label and a size label. All these labels are made of 100% naturally coloured cotton.
READY FOR WASHING
The final stage before packing the cashmere sweater is washing. To ensure that the sweater will not shrink when you, the consumer, wash it, it has to go through a washing process before leaving the knitting factory. The washing also makes the sweater even more soft and fluffy.
PACKED, SEALED, DELIVERED - IT’S YOURS
The sweater is now finished and goes through specialised quality control at the factory to ensure the sweater lives up to the high standards of a grade ‘A’ cashmere garment. From here, the sweater will be sent off for packing. We use as little packing as possible: thin, recycled paper and a recycled plastic zipper bag. The garments are now packed in cardboard boxes and are ready to be sent, with your home as the final destination.