How to put the luxury back into cashmere

To the untrained eye, a $50 cashmere sweater can look from afar much like a $500 sweater. And both products can technically be categorised as “responsible cashmere”, a designation with multiple standards and definitions.

“I am always worried when I see products being sold at prices that do not reflect their true cost,” says Anne Gillespie, director of impact acceleration at global nonprofit Textile Exchange. “Not only does it encourage thoughtless consumption, but it sets up a system that is in a race to the bottom. What we really need to see is pricing that reflects the full cost of producing a garment and bringing it to market including the externalities that are so often ignored. We cannot afford to continue this way.”

Cashmere, an exclusively luxury product once upon a time, stems from Kashmir, a region in the Himalayas between India and Pakistan, where the fine hairs of the underbellies of cashmere goats were combed through to collect enough wool for exquisite shawls. Now, most of the world’s cashmere comes from Mongolia and China (specifically Inner Mongolia within China).

Some argue increased access to cashmere has come at a cost. “In an oxymoron of epic proportions, fast fashion spurred a demand for ‘cheap luxury’, putting huge pressure on Mongolian and Chinese herding grounds,” says August Bard Bringéus, co-founder of Asket, a men’s luxury basics brand. Asket opted instead for recycled cashmere, producing sweaters made of 97 per cent recycled cashmere from post-consumer waste, forgoing virgin fibres entirely.

After seeing the market flooded with cashmere sweaters, Maria McManus, a fashion industry veteran who recently launched an eco-centric womenswear collection, also opted for recycled fabric and will be launching a 97 per cent recycled cashmere sweater this May. “With the emergence of fast fashion we have commoditised cashmere,” McManus says.

In 2002, Mongolia exported $45.2 million of cashmere. In 2018, that went up to $390.2 million. “This increased demand has led to a very significant rise in the number of cashmere goats, overproduction of cashmere and the desertification of former grasslands through overgrazing. Besides the environmental impact, there is also a human impact — cashmere herders can no longer rely on fertile pastures to raise their goats and so their livelihoods are now also at risk,” McManus says.

Changing weather patterns, including warmer average temperatures and reduced rainfall, coupled with increasing livestock grazing on the grasslands of Mongolia have put the region in a precarious position. Using satellite data over 20 years, studies indicate the grasslands are drying up. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the number of goats has grown from 4.3 million in 1985 to nearly 30 million in 2020, or seven-fold.

In 2020, the SFA developed the first global standard for cashmere with a chain of custody programme operating in both Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, China.

Single-origin cashmere

San Francisco-based Cuyana started selling 95 per cent recycled cashmere sweaters in December 2019. This spring, they added a new “single-origin” cashmere. Similar to the trend for single-origin coffees that can be traced back to a region, Cuyana’s new line of sweaters are sourced from “a single plateau in Inner Mongolia”, says Karla Gallardo, co-founder and CEO of Cuyana. “Here long, quality fibres grow. Rather than blending with lower quality fibres, our sweaters are made with 100 per cent 38mm fibres, are unbleached and completely unblended.”

Gallardo is referring to the fibres of hircus goats in Inner Mongolia, which produce 150 to 200 grams of cashmere each. It takes about four goats to amass enough cashmere for a sweater. Because each goat produces such a small quantity, some herders have expanded their herds or even crossbred goats to create animals that can produce 500 to 600 grams. The quality is inferior, while the larger herds put more pressure on the landscape.

Not all recycled cashmere is the same in quality, he adds, because it can reduce the length of the cashmere fibre. “When you’re chopping up sweaters and repurposing them, you are going to affect the length of the fibre.” That can also affect the feel and durability: shorter fibres can result in a rougher material, which pills easily. Naked Cashmere, he says, repurposes fibres, instead of sweaters, which are then spun into yarn to help keep that length and integrity intact. 

New players

The direct-to-consumer model has popularised affordable cashmere, with brands including Quince promoting deep relationships with cashmere producers focused on sustainability. Quince’s model is manufacturer-to-customer, one step beyond direct-to-consumer, meaning it doesn’t house inventory at a warehouse. Factory partners are involved with several leading social and environmental organisations including: Responsible Wool Standard, Good Cashmere Standard, Global Recycle Standard and Oeko-Tex, says founder and CEO Sid Gupta.

SFA works with companies such as Marks & Spencer, J.Crew and Inditex, which also offer competitive pricing on cashmere sweaters. “There is room for mass-market brands to source cashmere while still providing stability for herders,” Jones says. Cashmere prices are regulated by the market, and SFA encourages members to commit to purchasing certified fibre that meets sustainability and animal welfare standards.

She goes on to note that the price margin a herder would need as an incentive to produce cashmere in a more sustainable way is very small, as they only receive a percentage of the cost of the final garment (0.2 per cent). However, only 3 per cent of the cashmere supply chain in Mongolia can currently be deemed “sustainable”, according to a recent Textile Exchange report, suggesting that these standards still have a way to go.