How Cashmere Goats Changed Fashion

Cashmere wool is characteristically known by its soft fibres that are also strong and light and are obtained by the Cashmere goat on their downy winter undercoat. The undercoat grows as the day length shortens and grows with another outer coat of hair which is coarser. China is the largest producer of the fine down as it has an estimated population of 123 million goats. The fine hair in the down allows for light weight insulation without the weight like many other materials used to keep warm.

Naturally the goat's hair has to be separated as the finer hair has to have the thick hair removed, this process is called de-hairing and after this is done, the resulting wool is ready to be dyed and made into fabrics for garments. In some parts of the world the wool is mainly collected during the spring when the goats moult its winter coat due to the heat. The actual hair removing process does not harm the goats and the hair is merely combed by hand to remove the soft hair that is desired. The thicker coat can also be used for products such as brushes. Goats in parts of the world such as New Zealand are shorn of their fleece much like sheep are and this produces less fine hair than the combing process.

Historically, the usable fibre within cashmere is also known as pashm, which is the Persian word for wool. In the early 19th century the fine wool had a large industry producing handmade shawls that were imported from Tibet. These shawls were introduced into Western Europe by the French and created a large impression in the fashion and plans to produce more were immediately made. The French claim to have one of the first European companies that began to commercially spin cashmere. Imported wool was beaten with sticks and de-haired by children.

Eventually the French imported the goats themselves and had them sent to Australia for production and by 1830 the production had become important factor to the Scottish industry. The Scottish wanted to produce the wool like the French and had offered a financial reward to the first Scottish person that could spin the wool much like they were creating in France. By 1831 Scotland too was producing the manufacture of pashm wool as well as France.

By 1933, Pringle of Scotland was making fashionable wool sweaters but it was America that made the most impact on fashion with the cashmere sweater, worn by Lana Turner in the film 'They Won't Forget.' The phrase 'sweater girl' was then coined and women often had a twin set of their wool garments. During the forties and fifties teenage girls would wear their sweaters backwards, with the buttons done up at the back and this trend was all followed in the college fashion of the time.

Cashmere today is still popular and is associated with being considered luxurious, as most products that are made with it are expensive. Also comparatively to sheep's wool it is both warmer and softer, two characteristics which make it a preferred material. It is enjoyed as many clothing items and is considered fashionable on both men and women. Many designers have worked with the material to produce different clothing articles to suit fashion in different time periods, although it is thought of as timeless classic.

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