The Cashmere Guide: Why the World's Most Luxurious Fibre Is Worth Every Penny

Few fibres in the world carry the same concentrated luxury as cashmere. Softer than wool, lighter than cotton, and warmer weight-for-weight than almost any natural textile, cashmere is the product of a remarkable natural accident: the undercoat of the Capra hircus goat, combed (never sheared) once a year as the animal sheds its winter coat. One goat yields approximately 5 ¼ oz-7 oz of usable fibre annually. A single sweater requires four to six goats' annual yield. The arithmetic explains the price.

**Understanding Cashmere Grades**

Not all cashmere is equal. The fibre is graded principally by fineness — measured in microns — and length. The finest cashmere, used by Loro Piana and Hermès, measures 14–15.5 microns and comes from the underbelly of young Mongolian and Chinese goats. Standard commercial cashmere runs 15.5–18 microns and is perfectly pleasant. Below 18 microns begins to feel coarser, and below 19, you may notice pilling within the first season.

Grade A cashmere — the designation used by premium brands — specifies long fibres (typically 36–50mm), minimal impurities, and a fine micron count. It is significantly more expensive to produce and will not pill, will maintain its structure through years of gentle washing, and will actually improve with age as the fibres soften further.

**Loro Piana: The Benchmark**

Founded in 1924 in Quarona, Italy, Loro Piana (loropiana.com) is arguably the world's most important cashmere house. Acquired by LVMH in 2013, the company controls its supply chain from the Mongolian and Chinese highlands to its mills in the Biella district of Piedmont — a region whose soft, mineral-rich water has made it the world capital of luxury textile production for three centuries.

Loro Piana's headline achievement is its proprietary Baby Cashmere — combed from the first shearing of Hircus kids in their first year of life — which measures just 13.4 microns. A Baby Cashmere sweater is so fine it can be drawn through a wedding ring. It is extraordinarily expensive, and extraordinarily beautiful.

For everyday investment, Loro Piana's standard cashmere knitwear — crew necks, cardigans, and zip-neck pullovers — represent the best balance of quality, longevity, and wearability in the market. Reference: loropiana.com

**Brunello Cucinelli: Cashmere with a Philosophy**

If Loro Piana is the technician, Brunello Cucinelli is the philosopher-king of cashmere. Founded by Brunello Cucinelli in 1978 in Solomeo, Umbria, the company has built a globally recognised brand around the concept of 'humanistic capitalism' — paying artisans well above market wages, preserving medieval craft techniques, and building beautiful workspaces. The brand now encompasses a full lifestyle offering: clothing, accessories, furniture, and even a village library. Reference: brunellocucinelli.com

Brunello Cucinelli's cashmere is distinguished by its colour palette — deep, earthy, complex tones achieved through a dyeing process that uses mountain spring water — and its finishing, which involves hand-knitting certain details and employing skilled menders to repair any imperfections before sale. A Brunello Cucinelli cashmere sweater, properly cared for, will last twenty years.

**Other Brands Worth Knowing**

Johnstons of Elgin (johnstonsofelgin.com): Scotland's oldest working textile mill, founded in 1797 in Elgin, Moray. Johnstons produces exceptional cashmere at notably more accessible prices than the Italian houses. Their yarns are used by Chanel and other luxury brands. Highly recommended for those entering the cashmere world.

N.Peal (npeal.com): The Burlington Arcade mainstay, supplier to Downton Abbey's costume department, and maker of James Bond's turtlenecks. Excellent quality at mid-luxury price points.

Eric Bompard (eric-bompard.com): The definitive French cashmere house, distinguished by its colour range and straightforward, consistent quality.

**Caring for Cashmere**

Wash by hand in cool water with a wool-specific detergent. Never twist or wring — press water out gently between towels. Dry flat on a clean towel away from direct heat or sunlight. Store folded, never hung (hanging stretches the fibres). Use cedar blocks or lavender sachets to deter moths. Pill removal should be done with a cashmere comb or lint shaver, never scissors. Treat cashmere with the same respect you would any fine thing, and it will reward you with decades of pleasure.