Tips for Buying Cashmere Apparels

 Without doubt that cashmere is a beautiful textile and often related with  lavish apparels. But ever question why it is  judged  so precious ?  Granted, it is velvety and feels amazing when wearing it, but there’s more to cashmere than just the feel.  It starts with the supply .

For centuries, the sheep from the Kashmir  area (hence the origins of the title ) have yielded  the supplest, most lavish  apparels  on the planet.  However  is Kashmir the only   province you find cashmere wool? Not at all,  even if the beginnings  of the word arrived  from the Kashmir region  in Persian era , we are lucky  that several  other regions are now  developing  cashmere. One in particular is in Inner Mongolia, northern China.  This region  is the biggestsupplier  of cashmere goats on the planet . Other regions such as  Tibet, New Zealand and Turkey have  important  productions.  Because these  regions are  judged   remote  (especially  to western countries ), it cost more to export them and eventually  adds  to cost of the garment.

The  key  factor in producing  quality cashmere is the  weather . The climate  is a crucial  factor in the production of cashmere. The colder the  climate, the thicker  the goats’fur  will be.  Thus, it is not surprising  that good  quality cashmere wool arrives  from cold climate regions .  With global warming on the rise, there is a chance that quality cashmere will become even harder to find.

Because  cashmere textiles  are pricey , the apparels  or garments are also expensive . One method  many manufacturers will apply  to  reduce  the  cost is mixing  the cashmere wool with  a lower quality  material.  Unfortunately, this also  reduces the quality and  traits  admired  with cashmere.

Anyone who has ever purchased and worn a quality cashmere cape or women’s coat swears how cozy and warm it is. Unlike the familiar wool, cashmere is soft and does not irritate when wearing it. Plus , it has the capacity to be woven into fine threads or thick yarns. These characteristics lend a great deal of flexibility to designers when crafting garments of cashmere. Coats in this organic fiber, consequently, appear in a remarkable variety of patterns, textures, colors and forms . A word of caution be careful when purchasing your cashmere cape or shawl, there are a lot of cashmere imitations on the market.

In summary, if you do choose to purchase a cashmere coat , keep in mind the following:

1) Ask yourself – where does the cashmere come from? ( remember that colder climate regions produce higher quality cashmere)

2) Does your sell person have any knowledge about cashmere?

3) If there's a blend of other wools. How much percentage cashmere it there in the garment ?

This article was produced by Dino Karatzios who is a third generation furrier. He learned the professionfrom his Father (Dimitrios who is the actual professional furrier) and has been working in the fur trade from a very young age. You can say that furs andluxury outerwear is practically in his genes. For more information regarding furs, leathers or specialty wools, please feel free to contact Dino at Frank's Furs and Fashions (http://www.franksfurs.com)