The Mongolian cashmere goat is a breed from Mongolia, globally recognized for producing exceptionally high-quality cashmere fiber. These goats represent approximately 80% of Mongolia’s goat population and have been herded by nomadic communities for centuries, providing fiber, meat, and milk. This breed thrives in harsh environments, yielding a luxurious fiber highly prized in the international market.
Adapting to the Steppe
The Mongolian cashmere goat has developed adaptations to survive the extreme climate of the Mongolian steppes, where winter temperatures can plummet to -28°C or even -40°C. This challenging environment, characterized by prolonged cold winters, stimulates the goats to grow a dense and warm undercoat. This undercoat, a fine, soft, and downy layer, grows as the days shorten in autumn.
The goat’s double coat consists of a fine underdown and an outer layer of coarser guard hairs present year-round. Extreme cold directly influences the undercoat’s development, promoting the growth of finer, more insulating fibers. Warmer winters can lead to a less dense and shorter undercoat, diminishing both the quantity and quality of the cashmere fiber produced.
The Superiority of Mongolian Cashmere
Mongolian cashmere is regarded as “King Fibre” due to its exceptional fineness, softness, warmth-to-weight ratio, and natural luster. Fineness is measured in microns, with lower counts indicating higher quality. Mongolian cashmere has a fine diameter, often less than 17 microns, and can be as low as 16.0-16.5 microns for adult goats. Baby cashmere from kids can be as fine as 13.5 microns. This contrasts with sheep wool, which ranges from 17 to 40 microns.
Fiber length, or staple length, also contributes to superiority, with Mongolian cashmere fibers reaching up to 45 millimeters. Longer fibers are easier to spin, producing stronger yarns and fabrics more resistant to pilling. The traditional nomadic herding practices, which involve rotational grazing, contribute to these qualities. These factors ensure the goats produce an undercoat that is naturally hypoallergenic and offers unparalleled softness.
From Goat to Garment
The process of obtaining cashmere from Mongolian goats is non-harmful and aligns with the animals’ natural biological cycles. Cashmere is harvested once a year during the spring molting season, around May, when goats naturally shed their thick winter undercoat. This timing ensures the fiber is loose enough for collection and maximizes quality.
The common traditional method involves combing the goats to remove the fine underdown, leaving coarser guard hairs intact. Herders use specialized combs to gather the shedding fibers. After harvesting, the raw cashmere, which contains impurities like sand, dust, and guard hairs, undergoes a “dehairing” process. This separates the fine cashmere fibers from coarser guard hairs, often mechanically, ensuring the purity and softness of the final product for garment creation.