Cashmere: how and why to Choose It

Italian style is famous worldwide for its refinement, a trait that makes it loved, copied, and sometimes even envied. This sophistication comes from know-how born of an important tradition, with comprehensive knowledge of both materials and manufacturing techniques.

Cashmere is the essence of elegance and is a unique fabric from multiple perspectives, and even sustainable. There are many reasons to choose it. If we were to summarize, we could say that cashmere is a journey, an emotion, even a perspective: a way of seeing things.

Fashion in Italy is made by small companies capable of guaranteeing absolute quality. They represent, we could say, the fabric of the Italian economy, to use a metaphor close to cashmere, as well as the added value of Made in Italy, with both a national and international spirit.

The production of cashmere in terms of styling and design at 1stAmerican is characterized by a youthful outlook, just like the team of emerging designers working in the company. A special cashmere that has deep ancient roots but also a vision open to the future.

In this article, we’ll tell you more about how and why to choose cashmere. Ready to take a journey through time, starting from a place that’s both harsh and sweet like the steppes of Central Asia?

What is Cashmere?

Cashmere is a yarn produced from the Hircus goat, native to the coldest areas of Central Asia, which lives in some of the world’s most rugged regions, grazing in mountains and deserts, on harsh and complex peaks. It’s a mountainous landscape, certainly, but also humid and with a decidedly difficult climate where temperatures can reach 30° below zero.

These are animals that weigh between 50 and 60 kg for males and 35-45 kg for females. The main characteristic feature is represented, besides the precious yarn, by particularly developed horns. The coat is sumptuous and imposing, with an open, long, and almost coarse surface.

The colors range from ivory white to delicate gray tending to brownish to black. The most hidden part of the hair is what becomes, once processed, cashmere and is found closer to the skin, in the so-called undercoat. It’s a short, smooth, extremely soft and fluffy hair, almost silk-like in its pleasantness. This is the part that allows the Hircus goat to live in the Planet’s most challenging areas without ever getting discouraged.

Cashmere is, therefore, a natural textile fiber that was imported to the West starting in the nineteenth century. Appreciated from the beginning, it has always been synonymous with luxury, quality, and elegance. A cashmere garment, if properly cared for, accompanies a person throughout their life with unmatched elegance.

Is it Kashmir, Cachemire, or Cashmere?

A curiosity that always comes up is: how do you write the word cashmere in Italian? In the past, the fabric has been identified in multiple different ways such as Kashmir, Cachemire, and Cashmere, naturally, the (correct) way you find it written in this article.

According to none other than the Accademia della Crusca, there are different variants by which cashmere is known in Italian and internationally. The most common form is, alongside the classic cashmere, the variant cachemire, even in fashion magazines. In this case, it’s the linguistic variant from English.

And the term Kashmir? It refers to the region where the Hircus goat originates and doesn’t indicate, in itself, the name of the yarn but rather the geographical area. Using it, therefore, to talk about the fabric is not only incorrect but also inappropriate.

Cashmere: What are its Properties

Cashmere is a natural fiber that has an extremely fine, thin, and soft yarn. It has many properties, let’s look at them in detail:

• It’s a natural thermoregulator, capable of adapting to the skin ensuring adequate protection in all seasons, keeping warm in winter and during cool summer evenings, for example in the mountains.
• It protects from humidity.
• It guarantees maximum comfort. Its softness is unmatched and always manages to adapt to the skin with maximum comfort.
• It’s ecological. It’s a 100% natural fiber and is environmentally sustainable. Moreover, it’s simple to recycle.
• Natural luminosity. An element that cashmere shares with other noble natural fibers such as silk. Its light is less dazzling and iridescent but equally intense and soft to the eye.
• It’s breathable, meaning it absorbs skin perspiration and allows optimal skin transpiration.
• It remains gentle on skin contact. It doesn’t cause allergies or other problems.
• It doesn’t attract mites, dust, or electromagnetic fields. This is also why you feel a remarkable sense of well-being when wearing it.
• It’s an insulating fabric, an interesting factor not only for winter but also for summer. We could say it protects with discretion.
• It’s lightweight, you enjoy wearing it because it weighs little while having a thousand and one properties.
• When combined with other fibers, it enhances their qualities.
• It’s durable and long-lasting, much more than other wools. This is even more valid if the cashmere is washed properly to last over time.

The properties of cashmere say a lot about how it is a precious and quality fabric. For all these reasons, it’s truly an unmatched choice. 1stAmerican offers cashmere in its men’s and women’s collections all year round: because it always represents security for the person.

The Production of Cashmere

Cashmere is a yarn that is produced worldwide. As we’ve seen, the main production area remains Central Asia and particularly the Mongolia region, which has the most precious production, and Kashmir.

Also important is the quantity of yarn obtained in Iran, a country that has a particularly suitable climate, with its temperature fluctuations, for the Hircus goat. This also applies to other states with desert territory and high peaks: China, India, and Pakistan.

Europe, due to its territorial characteristics, is not particularly appreciated by the Hircus goat. However, there are exceptions, and among these is Italy, particularly the Aosta Valley region. Another country where the Hircus goat feels at home is Ireland, due to its particularly cold and humid climate.

The Hircus goat has proven, throughout its history, to be extremely versatile and intelligent. A fortune for cashmere lovers, a yarn that’s always worth having in your wardrobe.

Inside every 1stAmerican cashmere garment, there is a complete section dedicated to the product’s origin in total transparency. Each garment is entirely crafted in Italy while the yarns are produced in highly specialized and top-level areas, including Mongolia.

Recognizing Good Quality Cashmere

Recognizing good quality cashmere requires significant personal skills, or rather, an expert eye. For this reason, 1stAmerican has a highly qualified team to obtain only good quality cashmere.

However, there is a simple trick: if the cashmere fabric is not good, you’ll notice after washing it a couple of times, when it loses softness or becomes misshapen. This is provided, of course, that the procedure is done correctly.

Another element to consider is the label, where by law it must state if it is truly cashmere. 1stAmerican has always chosen to work with total clarity and transparency. It offers both 100% cashmere garments and garments where the precious yarn is combined with silk. Both fabrics have similar properties, especially regarding quality and environmental impact.

1stAmerican also uses cashmere together with other types of wool, to create an even more comfortable and high-quality yarn, adding softness to other wools, usually rougher, making them more pleasant than ever.

A note should be made about pilling, the phenomenon of pilling. It can happen that, over time, even the best cashmere shows this, albeit softly. It is not, therefore, an indicator of lesser quality cashmere.

A well-made sweater does not have visible seams unless for style reasons; instead, linking seams are preferred, a particular technique that ensures careful and effective work. This is how good quality cashmere is distinguished: not only by the yarn but also by the attention to detail with which it is treated.

How to Make Cashmere Last over Time

Cashmere is a precious yarn and to last over time, it must be treated with care. This applies both to garments where it is the only material and to those where it is combined with silk and wool.

It is essential to wash the cashmere sweater correctly, but also: a cashmere sweater should not be worn two days in a row but should rest for at least a day, to ensure the fabric has proper aeration, with the right balance of activity and rest.

If you wish to iron the cashmere sweater, although generally unnecessary if laid out correctly, it is important to always do it inside out following the label instructions carefully. Is that all? Yes, that’s all: if you take care to wash it gently, cashmere can last a lifetime.

How to Wash a Cashmere Sweater

Washing cashmere is serious business and should not be taken lightly, precisely to ensure its optimization at the highest levels. For this reason, 1stAmerican provides instructions on its e-commerce site on how to perform a perfect wash for each garment with total simplicity.

For 100% cashmere garments, dry cleaning or hand washing is recommended, always with a neutral detergent or, alternatively, a gentle shampoo. The garment should be immersed inside out in plenty of water: this way, thanks to the beneficial action of the water, the fabric will be revitalized. The water contact should not exceed 5 minutes.

Regarding drying, absolutely avoid the dryer as it is not only non-ecological but also unsuitable for a natural yarn like cashmere. It’s better to let your cashmere garment dry laid out horizontally on a dry towel, away from direct heat sources, including direct sunlight.

To ensure colors are not ruined, it is important to wash each shade separately: this way, you can be sure of maintaining the bright aesthetic qualities of cashmere even in the long term.

The washing of the 1stAmerican cashmere and silk sweater is no different, which, we remind you, is indicated for each garment already within the online store. Hand or dry cleaning is preferred. You can use a washing machine but always warm or cold, never exceeding 30°C.

The drying procedure is the same as previously indicated: without a dryer and with the sweater laid out horizontally on a towel, away from direct heat sources including sunlight. It is essential to always wash colors separately. What is stated for the cashmere silk sweater also applies to the cashmere and wool one. Therefore, the correct washing of the cashmere sweater is essential to ensure the fabric lasts over time and remains in excellent condition.