cashmere

Very Special Cashmere From a Very Special Clan of Goats

Photo: Giulio Di Sturco

As the crisp autumn chill gently reminds us that summer may finally be coming to an end, thereโ€™s nothing more appealing than the thought of wrapping yourself in cozy cashmere, maybe with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. For the domestic creatures among us, Italian brand Loro Piana has rolled out the ridiculously soft Baby Cashmere Jubilee capsule collection, on the tenth anniversary of the brandโ€™s adoption of its unique cashmere blend โ€” just in time for Milan Fashion Week.

The collection consists of three white pieces (two turtlenecks and a bomber) made with Loro Pianaโ€™s Baby Cashmere blend, which comes from goats in the Alashan mountains in Mongolia. Since the mid-โ€™90s, designer Pier Luigi Loro Piana has worked closely with goat herders there to develop the material for his sweaters and outerwear.

A Mongolian woman helps pull the cashmere. Photo: Giulio Di Sturco

The harsh, extreme climates of Mongolia allow the goats to develop a unique double-layered fleece, with a coarse protective outer layer and an insulating inner barrier. Their coats can only be harvested once in a lifetime, during the month of June and before they turn one year of age, when they naturally shed. The resulting fabric is extremely rare and extremely cozy, used throughout the designerโ€™s fall/winter 2018 collections for both men and women.

You can shop the collections on the brandโ€™s website, and watch the clip below to see how the fabric is made. Bellissimo!

Very Special Cashmere From a Very Special Clan of Goats