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Saturday 22 November 2008

Alluring cashmere

More than mere cash...

Cashmere has always had inimitable cachet, writes Charlotte Metcalf

Cashmere entered my consciousness when I learned that my cousin’s skin was too sensitive to bear anything but cashmere next to it. From where I was sitting, aged eight, in my scratchy Chilprufe vest, nothing seemed more desirable and, to me, my cousin became as exotic and fragile as the princess bruised by the pea through her tottering pile of mattresses. Ever since I have regarded anything cashmere with reverence and still own my father’s moth-eaten black V-neck from Simpson.

Wondering about the origin of cashmere’s cachet, I started asking friends what they think cashmere actually is. ‘Goat’s beard from Kashmir’ was a common guess but no one seemed sure. It is natural goat fibre, originally from Kashmir, but to qualify as cashmere it must be very fine and long, providing lightweight insulation without bulk. The finest cashmere is gathered from the goat’s saddle rather than from its neck or belly, which tend to be dirty. The goat is either combed or the fibres ‘dehaired’. Both methods are time-consuming, accounting for cashmere’s high cost.

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