When we talk about cashmere being a sustainable fabric, we first of all mean that it is a fabric that is long-lasting and can stay in your staple wardrobe without wearing out in a couple of uses or washes. Secondly, we mean it is also an item that doesn’t belong to the fast fashion genre because it stays on trend, being a classic, luxury item. Thirdly, as a natural fibre, it is also a fabric that is biodegradable, unlike the plastic fibre of man-made polyester.
Now, when we talk about any wool garment or other natural fibre fabric, we of course also need to be mindful of where it is coming from to ensure it is ethically sourced as well as sustainable. This is where we need to explain about traceable cashmere yarn and the importance of knowing the origins of cashmere, from goat to garment, ensuring the animal, the farmer, and the environment are all considered in the creation of cashmere.
Raw material
For yarn to be fully traceable, all parts of the chain must be fully transparent with all information about the yarn recorded. For us at Linea Azzurro this means ensuring we use a cashmere producer that spins their own yarn. We are fortunate to have been working with the same producer for many years and we value the relationship they have with the goat farmers. We use a 100% cashmere specialist who sources and buys the raw cashmere from herders in Mongolia.
The lives of farmers, goats and the environment are all taken into consideration. Each herder has between 100 and 200 goats & at night they are brought into farm enclosures where they are kept safe, but during the day they roam freely to graze.
The raw material, sourced from Mongolia, is divided into numbered lots ensuring its origin is noted. Before any production even takes place, colour, length, and composition of each lot is thoroughly checked to ensure its purity.
Refining, dying and spinning
The whole process takes place in Italy where the fibres are dyed in Prato, then spun in our factory where the fibre count is re-checked. It is then made into jumpers and accessories, which, again, are inspected one by one for any imperfections.
When you buy a Linea Azzurro garment you can rest assured that you are getting cashmere of the highest quality that has considered the animal, the farmer, and the environment in its production.