State Cashmere
Blend comfort with sustainability and you’ll end up with State Cashmere. Founded in 2017, the New York-based brand specializes in sustainable cashmere essentials for women and men. All their products (such as soft cardigans, zipped hoodies and ribbed pants) are made out of 100% pure cashmere responsibly sourced from inner Mongolia.
Let’s look into the material, cashmere, and what the difference is with wool. Just like human hair, wool is a fiber from animals including sheep, lamb, goat, and alpaca. As one of the most widespread materials for winter products, it has been widely used in various textile products like sweaters and blankets for a long time. The fibers are collected during the annual shearing of the animals, and then processed. While wool is solid and resistant to moisture, it could be heavy and rough sometimes. People with sensitive skin would need to refrain from wearing wool products.
Cashmere is actually a type of wool - except, unlike traditional wool, it is exceptionally soft. Cashmere goats are found across the Himalayas where temperatures can drop to -30°C and their freezing cold habitat means that they grow an incredibly thick, warm coat. Cashmere goatshave two layers of hair — a super-soft cashmere undercoat protected by thick wiry guard hairs, aka wool, as the topcoat. Cashmere gets its name from an old spelling of Kashmir, a region in India where its production and trade originated. Its softness means it makes for the perfect turtleneck sweater, winter wrap scarf, or sweaters. A major benefit of the material is how lightweight it is, which increases its versatility and allows it to be worn again and again, season after season. Cashmere itself is a fiber that is made of goat’s undercoat hair. This hair is quite fine. State Cashmere believes cashmere in its original state offers the most luxurious feel, so the label´s products are 100% cashmere, no blends used. Collecting these particular fibers is a laborious task that must be done by hand during spring molting season, resulting in relatively small yield. The difficulty involved with collecting cashmere explains why it is relatively rare and considered a luxury item compared to wool. While a sheep can produce at least 3 kilos of wool each year, a cashmere goat will only give you around 200 grams. It takes at least two goats to make one two-ply cashmere sweater, whereas the wool from one sheep can be used to make four or five conventional wool sweaters.
State Cashmere´s cashmere comes straight from rugged inner Mongolia where the cold climate produces the softest cashmere. Because the brand works directly with shepherds, you get pure cashmere and shepherds keep more profit. The goats are well-cared for, and cashmere is biodegradable and completely sustainable with the goats regrowing a new cashmere layer every year. These herders come from a long lineage of shepherds who consider raising goats an honor and part of their heritage. State Cashmere´s founder Hao Rone himself grew up spending his summers raising goats with his grandparents where he learned the ins and outs of the cashmere trade.
Not all cashmere is produced in a sustainable way. So it’s important to tell a little bit more about State Cashmere´s goats and cashmere. Cashmere fiber is from the undercoats of cashmere goats. This warm undercoat protects them from the fierce weather condition in where they live (for example, Gobi desert). SC goats are only combed in spring, so after they have been combed, they won’t feel cold. The warm cashmere undercoat has helped them endure the freezing cold. They don’t need it for the upcoming summer. When the fall and winter hits next year, they will grow a new cashmere undercoat to protect themselves. The goats are not sheared, but gently combed so the cashmere fiber comes off the undercoat. In this way, the cashmere fiber contains less goat hair that’s not cashmere. At the same time, it does not hurt the goats, as the shepherds love their cashmere goats!
Because colder weather yields better cashmere, climate change is threatening the land and livelihood of its inhabitants. SC is committed to keeping the planet healthy and its cashmere wild. Cashmere can last decades if taken care of. The label offers repair services to keep clothing out of landfills and in your closet forever. Just send in anything you want fixed using a prepaid label. (coming soon...) Furthermore, State Cashmere will launch a buy-back program soon to recycle cashmere for future generations’ comfort. (coming soon...)
Every spring, when the weather is warming up, the shepherds’ cashmere fiber is collected. When the cashmere fibers are processed, they are also cleaned and sorted. Once this process is complete, artisans who are able to spin and weave the fibers turn them into something more tangible - like your favorite sweater. What makes State Cashmere so unique is their dedication to creating a product that isn’t environmentally taxing, but eco-friendly instead. The label wholeheartedly believes in using green practices to create the products, and this is an essential part of the State Cashmere process.
Based: New York, USA.
Ships to: Worldwide.
Products: Pure cashmere essentials.
Mission: To offer exceptional cashmere directly to consumers at a revolutionary price with sustainable practices.
Vision: To reinvigorate the traditional posh and preppy cashmere with a new sense of creativity and excitement - fresh styles, a bold point of view, and sustainability in every stitch.
