Fiber Definitions — textile fibers, yarn fibers and fiber properties from Apparel Search
Cashmere is classified as a hair fiber. Its primary uses are men's and women's coats, jackets and blazers, skirts, hosiery, sweaters, gloves, scarves, mufflers, caps and robes. Its general characteristics are that it is luxuriously soft, with high napability and loft; it provides natural lightweight insulation without bulk, and cashmere is extremely warm, serving its original purpose of protecting goats from cold mountain temperatures. The source is the cashmere, or Kashmir, down goat, specifically the fine, soft undercoat or underlayer of hair.
Classification: Hair fiber
Primary Uses: Men's and women's coats, jackets and blazers, skirts, hosiery, sweaters, gloves, scarves, mufflers, caps and robes.
General Characteristics: Luxuriously soft, with high napability and loft; provides natural light-weight insulation without bulk. Cashmere is extremely warm (in order to serve its original purpose of protecting goats from cold mountain temperatures.) fibers are highly adaptable and are easily constructed into fine or thick yarns, and light to heavy-weight fabrics. Appropriate for all climates. A high moisture content allows insulation properties to change with the relative humidity in the air.
Source: The Cashmere (Kashmir) or down goat. From the fine, soft undercoat or underlayer of hair. The straighter and coarser outer coat is called guard hair.
Geographic Origin: From the high plateaus of Asia. Significant supplier countries are: China, Mongolia and Tibet. Today, little is supplied by the Kashmir State of India, from which its name is derived. The cashmere products of this area first attracted the attention of Europeans in the early 1800's.
Gathering Process: The specialty animal hair fibers are collected during molting seasons when the animals naturally shed their hairs. Goats molt during a several-week period in spring. In China and Mongolia, the down is removed by hand with a coarse comb. The animals are sheared in Iran, Afghanistan, New Zealand and Australia.
Production: The coarse hairs and down hairs of the cashmere goat and camel are separated by a mechanical process known as dehairing.
Annual Yield: Up to half a kilo of fiber per goat, with an average 150 gram of underdown.
Natural Colors: Gray, brown and white.
Types of fiber: 1) Virgin -- New fiber that has not been processed in any way, or has been made into yarns, fabrics or garments for the first time. 2) Recycled -- fibers reclaimed from scraps or fabrics that were previously woven or felted and may or may not have been used by the consumer.
| Textile & Clothing definitions and Glossaries: |
| Fashion Industry |
Why Cashmere Performs as It DoesCashmere fibers are highly adaptable and are easily constructed into fine or thick yarns, and light to heavyweight fabrics, so the same fiber serves a fine scarf and a substantial coat. It is appropriate for all climates, because a high moisture content allows its insulation properties to change with the relative humidity in the air: the fiber adjusts rather than simply blocking heat. High napability and loft mean the yarn traps air in a raised, soft surface, and trapped air is what insulates, which is how cashmere gives natural lightweight insulation without bulk. The cashmere products of the Kashmir area first attracted the attention of Europeans in the early 1800s, and the fiber has been a luxury standard since, priced by the arithmetic of its yield: an average 150 grams of underdown per goat per year must be combed or shorn, dehaired, and spun before a single garment exists. Virgin and Recycled CashmereTwo types of fiber are recognised. Virgin cashmere is new fiber that has not been processed in any way, or has been made into yarns, fabrics or garments for the first time. Recycled cashmere is fiber reclaimed from scraps or fabrics that were previously woven or felted, and may or may not have been used by the consumer. The distinction matters to the buyer because reclaimed fiber has already been shortened by its first life and processing, while virgin fiber goes into yarn at its full natural length. Both types feed the same range of goods, coats, jackets, blazers, skirts, hosiery, sweaters, gloves, scarves, mufflers, caps and robes, and both start from the same down that protected the goat through a mountain winter. Common QuestionsWhere does cashmere come from?Cashmere comes from the fine, soft undercoat of the cashmere goat; the straighter and coarser outer coat is called guard hair. Its geographic origin is the high plateaus of Asia, and significant supplier countries are China, Mongolia and Tibet, while little is now supplied by the Kashmir State of India, from which the name is derived. How is cashmere gathered?The specialty hair fibers are collected during molting seasons when the animals naturally shed. Goats molt during a several-week period in spring. In China and Mongolia the down is removed by hand with a coarse comb, while the animals are sheared in Iran, Afghanistan, New Zealand and Australia. The down and guard hair are then separated mechanically by dehairing. How much cashmere does one goat produce?The annual yield is up to half a kilo of fiber per goat, with an average of 150 grams of underdown. That small yield from each animal is the basic reason cashmere garments cost what they do. Natural colours are grey, brown and white. More to ExploreMore from Apparel Search: Fiber Definitions | Clothing Industry Glossary | Fashion Terms | Apparel Search Home
|