Walk through any cashmere-producing region in spring and you'll find two camps: herders who comb their animals by hand during the natural moult, and herders who shear. We only buy from the first camp. Here's why that matters in the finished yarn.
The structural difference
Cashmere goats grow a soft undercoat through winter. By late April, that undercoat naturally releases — the goat actively sheds it. Combing gathers the shed fibre cleanly, preserving its full natural length. Shearing, by contrast, cuts through both the undercoat and the coarser guard hair, and does it before the natural moult has completed.
Staple length
Combed fibre retains its natural length: 38–42 millimetres for our grades. Sheared fibre tends to land at 28–34 millimetres — because the blade cuts the fibre short.
Longer staple spins stronger yarn. Fewer fibre ends per inch of yarn means less pilling, better loft retention, and longer garment life.
Why it matters downstream
On a 12GG fine-gauge pullover, the difference is visible within six months of regular wear. Shorter-staple yarn pills faster along the shoulder line and at the cuffs; it loses loft in the chest where fabric flexes most. Longer-staple yarn ages more gracefully because every fibre is anchored further into the structure of the yarn.
Pure-Comb™
We formalised our combed-fibre commitment as Pure-Comb™ — a programme-level guarantee that every kilogram we spin comes from combed fibre, sourced from cooperative partners who don't shear. You can read the full programme details on our Pure-Comb page.
Longer staple costs us more at the cooperative level. It makes better yarn. That trade-off isn't complicated.
