Sustainability
Organic Cashmere
Our supplier farms cashmere goats that are raised on open grasslands. Temperatures often get to -46° C on the Mongolian Steppe which is exposed to the cold Siberian winds from the north. To brace themselves against the harsh winters the goats produce a downy layer known as cashmere which is believed to be the finest, longest and softest yarn in the world; it is finer, stronger, lighter and approximately three times more insulating than sheep wool. Once the raw fibre has been collected from the goats it is washed and cleaned before 'carding' or dehairing and then dying and spinning into yarn. It is then spun and sewn together by 'linking'. The finished garments are washed and dried before a final inspection. The yarn we use is mid weight 70% wool/30% cashmere and complies with the following standards:
The Good Cashmere Standard
Traceable Cashmere - Organic Cashmere
International Cooperation Committee on Animal Welfare (ICCAW) and Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA)
OEXO-TEX Standard 100
Our supplier, Mr Murun, is a traditional Mongolian whose family lives in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. Every spring he goes back home for the cashmere harvest. Mr Murun has made a short film which follows his return home for the cashmere harvest and gives an insight into the lives of Mongolians today who lead a traditional life in this vast landscape.
Mongolian Life in the Gobi Desert and Cashmere Fibre Harvesting
Sustainable Yak
Like the cashmere goats, yaks form a dense woolly undercoat over the chest, flanks, and thighs to insulate them from the extreme winter cold. The yak is the main bovine in the Tibetan Plateau and is a heavily built animal with a bulky frame, sturdy legs and rounded cloven hooves, not to mention extremely dense, long fur that hangs down. Wild yaks are generally dark, blackish to brown in colour, while domestic yaks can be quite variable, being brown, grey, white or even piebald. Because the yak hair is such a beautiful natural colour we leave it undyed for our knitwear.
Yaks are free ranging; the herders follow them in a nomadic pattern between spring, summer, autumn and winter pastures. They help maintain the delicate ecosystem of the area as they graze on a variety of flora, fertilize the land with their manure and spread the seeds with their broad hooves. The yaks are not clipped but instead the hair is gathered naturally when they moult in the summer and retains its insulating properties when knitted into garments.