While every type of sweater is priced differently thanks to the materials, labor, and knitting process that goes into it, if you’re willing to splurge on a good quality sweater, opt for a high-quality, thick cashmere sweater— the higher the percentage of cashmere in it, the better. But, as always, there’s layers to the type of cashmere you can get.
According to Stockholm-based Chinese designer Lisa Yang, the determining factor in how soft cashmere sweaters can be lay in a few key details: the weather conditions of where the goats are from and the craftsmanship that goes into spinning the yarn to make the sweater. Yang specifically sources her cashmere from Inner Mongolia, given the region’s history and livestock.
“There are very different standards and grades of cashmere, just like you see with many other materials. At Lisa Yang, we always source grade A fibers for our yarn production,” the designer tells Who What Wear. “To explain in a bit more detail, grade A fibers are the highest quality cashmere you can get, the longest and the finest. The diameter of each fiber can be as small as 14-15.5 microns, with a length of 34- 36mm.”
“However, it is not only down to the quality of the natural fiber but is also due to the experience of the cashmere producers in this region — they have worked with this yarn, spinning and knitting cashmere, for centuries. No-one has a better understanding of the craft of cashmere production than my longtime friends and producers in Inner Mongolia who we have worked with for over a decade – they are like part of our family.” Yang says.