Cashmere: a Metaphor of our Time

Some fabrics never go out of style. They’re capable of making history and stirring emotions with their simplicity. Perfect to wear anytime, in summer and winter, spring and fall, making people feel always comfortable. Cashmere is a sanctuary for the soul, able to embrace and rejuvenate, a comfort that soothes us during life’s delicate moments, bringing serenity and a unique sense of peace – something not easy to find in today’s complex times.

Cashmere can be seen as a metaphor of our times, in an era when people are required to adapt like never before, both men and women. In a fast-paced society, where innovation happens through constantly changing practices, as shown by the Digital Revolution phenomenon. This has affected all fields, allowing access to quality products not just in stores but also online, as demonstrated by 1stAmerican. A philosophy that also shows new attention to the environment, with innovative practices aiming to be increasingly refined and eco-friendly.

Cashmere is a metaphor of our times because it has been crafted since ancient times and can last a lifetime when treated with care. A timeless story, destined to endure. 1stAmerican combines both aspects of this precious fabric: a past to be sought in time and a present more current than ever. A collection featuring pieces for today’s men and women, with all-day outfits perfect for every moment, from office work to dinner with friends. Keeping people comfortable and elegant throughout.

Cashmere worked both alone and with other impressive materials, especially silk. This is certainly 1stAmerican’s most interesting innovation : interpreting a fabric and its potential by combining ancient knowledge with the most recent. For items, from sweaters to scarves, that you never want to take off. Today as yesterday.

Cashmere: an Ancient History

The history of cashmere, as mentioned, echoes from far away. We suggest, while telling it, a classical music piece as background. It’s titled In the Steppes of Central Asia and it’s a symphonic poem by Russian composer Borodin, one of the most original musical talents of the 19th century. You’ll hear the fierce and intense Eastern winds, a tired and measured pace, very physical but also with a metaphysical note. A sound both Russian and Oriental, with a Western touch due to the exchange of knowledge between the two parts of Russia, a vast and eclectic territory.

The presence of certain animals resonates, and among these is one very familiar to us, being connected to cashmere: the Capra hircus, also known as Pashmina, which lives at over 1,000 meters altitude with temperatures that can reach -40°C. Native to cold and harsh climates, humid, but at the same time experiencing intense temperatures during the summer season.

The Capra hircus has been raised by Central Asian shepherds, which is why we chose Borodin’s piece for you. They inhabit unique regions like Kashmir, from which our fabric takes its name, but also vast areas of Mongolia, Afghanistan, Russia, India, and Turkey, places where the Capra hircus is still raised, with temperatures showing strong fluctuations between day and night, unlike anywhere else on the planet.

Cashmere was first processed by the nomadic populations of Central Asia, who needed a fabric that could adapt to the different climates encountered during their movements. The Capra hircus naturally sheds its precious coat in spring, during the transition from cold to warm weather, and it’s during this period that the material was (and still is) collected and processed.

But how did it reach us? Thanks to the Silk Road and the Venetian merchant Marco Polo who discovered it in the 13th century inside some caves in Mongolia, introducing it to Europe. Cashmere, along with silk, brought fortune to these peoples, who were able to diplomatically negotiate even extremely delicate territorial situations. Cashmere and silk were perfect fabrics for political-cultural mediation, and the profits from their sales allowed some past entrepreneurs to become wealthy and build colonial empires. It’s no coincidence that a pragmatic and visionary man like Camillo Benso Count of Cavour tried to introduce the Capra hircus to Italian territory and start cashmere production in the Beautiful Country. This attempt failed due to the essential bond between this goat and its native territory, though today it has succeeded in some niche productions that see the Aosta Valley as an ideal location for production.

Cashmere Production Today

Cashmere is now mainly produced in Mongolia, where the more precious white fiber is made in the South, and the equally interesting brown fiber in the outer part of the region.

Cashmere is processed, today as yesterday, according to two methods that follow the rhythm of spring, when the Capra hircus naturally changes its coat. In Mongolia, they proceed directly with shearing, as is done with other types of wool in Europe, including Italy (notably the Sardinian tradition), and the rest of the world. In the Himalayan areas, instead, they wait for the goat to naturally shed its excess material by rubbing against trees, with shepherds collecting the precious material from place to place.

Now that times are faster than in the past and practicality is the founding element of modern production, the Mongolian collection method has become established, with shearing being more practical and effective, while still respecting and protecting the animal. Precious as ever, it’s no coincidence that cashmere is considered the prince of yarns. This is due to its characteristics and the fact that to produce 200g of wool, the processing of what one or even two goats produce is necessary. A long and expensive process, therefore, that of processing cashmere, and thus not economical.

1stAmerican’s Cashmere

Excellence is the distinctive trait of cashmere, which has the characteristic of being not thick and hard like other types of yarns, but rather soft and fluffy with a rather low specific weight. A quality that can only be guaranteed in production since throughout its history, production has seen few changes from one era to another.

1stAmerican could only choose cashmere as the material of choice for creating its garments, embodying a sporty and refined style, perfect for men and women who in our time want to move harmoniously. Cashmere can stay in close contact with the skin without ever causing irritation, a characteristic that no other wool can provide. A distinctive trait that explains why it’s used not only for the winter season but also for spring and even summer when it comes into direct contact with the skin.

Cashmere is indeed a natural thermal regulator and proves to be an excellent regulator of internal body temperature: when a person sweats, with cashmere they feel comfortable, since the internal result is that of less humidity. Moreover, cashmere is lightweight and takes up little space, both in vacation luggage and in wardrobe drawers. A factor not to be underestimated for those people who often find themselves traveling and need practical garments to use as well as beautiful and reliable ones.

Finally, cashmere is, despite being so precious, also extremely durable. In short, soft on the outside and rock solid on the inside. Capable of adapting to all the people who wear it in a unique and original way.

Cashmere garments from 1stAmerican are a reliable addition to have in your wardrobe. An added value, along with the quality of the fabric, is the price, usually not economical in cashmere due to such particular processing but which 1stAmerican has decided to make reasonable and accessible to everyone. For excellent looks for the manager as well as the student and the career woman where the cashmere sweater manages to give new vitality at all times of the day.

Cashmere-silk: an Unparalleled and Timeless Fabric

Cashmere combined with silk manages to give its best. A bit like when musical geniuses like Freddie Mercury, Franco Battiato or Coldplay, just to name a few and reconnect to the metaphor discourse, combine pop or rock with elements of classical music and other cultures. Why silk to make cashmere unique? The discourse has distant roots that are lost again in Asia and particularly in China, the place where silk was first made, from 6000 BC.

Silk shares with cashmere the same oriental origin and prestigious history but also undoubted qualities that make it one of the most authentic raw materials of our time. Luster, softness, resistance, thermal capacity from the point of view of temperature regulation. These are all distinctive traits of silk, considered a fabric more precious than gold, capable of seducing even the warriors of Mongolia, unparalleled from a tactical and military point of view, but not insensitive to the beauty of silk.

1stAmerican has seen in the union of the two fabrics, cashmere and silk, a possibility to create unique garments with a very particular beauty. Unparalleled for today’s woman and man who need refinement and harmony, without underestimating comfort.

Cashmere Silk for Her

For women, the cashmere silk fabric is available not only in crew neck sweaters, turtlenecks and cardigans, but also in dresses. The fabric is always the same, from 1stAmerican, a fine and refined knit, capable of elongating the figure thanks to a naturally more elastic fabric. Something that only a material closer to knitwear can do and which is enhanced by colors, basic and dynamic at the same time, always trendy over the years. There’s no shortage of pink, blue and gray.

A new light comes from red, a chromatic tone that is linked to passion but also to the purest emotion, capable of giving new light to winter days. To be used not only in everyday life but also during special events, even work-related ones.

If you like the combination, we remind you that silk is also present on its own, within 1stAmerican’s proposals, in shirts and blouses that can be worn both visible, for example under a cardigan, and under a cashmere sweater or cashmere silk: the contact with the skin will be even more delightful. Solutions that if you don’t know what to wear, also due to rather variable temperatures, will prove extremely useful.

Cashmere Silk for Him

1stAmerican has created cashmere silk garments also for men, in sweaters and vests perfect both under a jacket, and paired with a polo or a shirt. A comfortable and refined look, perfect for work days that seem to never end as well as for leisure time. The best way to enhance cashmere silk for him? Pairing it with a suit jacket and trousers or with jeans, also available on 1stAmerican, which manages to give a more contemporary appeal.

Cashmere silk is for today’s man a symbol of vitality and elegance, where he wants to be a protagonist just like her, from an aesthetic point of view. A revolution, the one that sees the care of men’s style as well as women’s, typical of our times, brought to the forefront in various fields by icons like dancer Rudolf Nureyev, designer Carlo Pignatelli and even Gianni Versace, just to mention some inspiring names. Cashmere proves to be up to the modern era. Moving like a butterfly, to conclude with a metaphor, from him to her, who want to have the same style without giving up their own authenticity. Where personality makes the difference.