Where Cashmere Comes From — and Why Grade Matters

Cashmere does not come from a sheep. It comes from the undercoat of a goat that survives winters between −30°C and −40°C — and that is the whole reason the fibre behaves the way it does.

Where it grows

The finest cashmere comes from high, cold, dry plateaus: Inner Mongolia and the Alashan plateau in China, the Kashmir region, Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan. The goats grow a downy undercoat each autumn and shed it in spring. Herders comb it out by hand during the moult — shearing cuts the fibre and shortens it, which is why combed cashmere commands a higher price.

Altitude and cold matter more than the country on the label. A goat kept warm grows less down; the harsh winters are what produce the fine, long fibre.

Two numbers decide the quality

Fibre diameter (measured in microns)

Fine cashmere sits roughly between 14 and 19 microns. Below about 16 microns it feels almost weightless against the skin; above 19 it starts to prickle and behaves more like fine wool. This is the number that separates a scarf you forget you are wearing from one you keep adjusting.

Fibre length

Longer fibres twist together into a stronger yarn with fewer ends working loose. Short fibres feel soft in the shop and then pill heavily within weeks, because the ends have nowhere to go but the surface. Length is the single most under-reported quality signal in cashmere — and the main reason two scarves that look identical age so differently.

Softness is a first-day impression. Fibre length is what you are still wearing in year three.

Why "pure" is not the same as "good"

A 100% cashmere label guarantees content, not grade. Short-fibre cashmere can be 100% cashmere and still pill within a month. The better question is not whether it is pure, but how fine and how long the fibre is — and whether the knit is dense enough to hold its shape.

How we choose

Our cashmere pieces are 96% cashmere and above, selected for fibre length as much as softness, with brushed finishes kept deliberately gentle: enough loft to hold warmth, never so much that the weave loses definition. Where a design needs structure — jacquard, checks, a sharp line — we use pure wool rather than stretching cashmere thin.

Care matters as much as grade: the routine in our Size & Care Guide is what keeps a good scarf good. Browse the cashmere collection to see the grades in practice.

Written by the Lanvelle team. Questions about a specific piece? Email service@lanvelle.com.