Kashmir is wool from Kashmir goats. These goats are a unique type of goat that live in mountainous areas around Mongolia and supply much of the cashmere to the world. Kashmir goats have a very warm and soft undercoat that protects them during the extremely cold winters where temperatures can be below – 50 degrees Celsius where they live. When spring comes, the goats start moulting, and in the spring they are combed with special combs to remove the undercoat, which is then washed and sent to factories that make yarn. This comb is not harmful to the goats. A goat will produce up to 150 grams of yarn each year, and about 300 grams are needed to make a single sweater.

The actual hairs combed from the goats are the cashmere fibers. The length of these fibers varies from 25-45 mm. The longer fibers are usually found on the neck and underbelly of the buck, and generally speaking the longer the fibers the more durable the sweater will be.

Unlike wool, cashmere comes from hair, and this is the main reason for its insulating properties, which can be up to eight times higher than wool. This makes cashmere perfect for maintaining body temperature, keeping you warm but not hot.

Due to the small diameter of the cashmere fibers, the density of the fibers is much higher than wool, and therefore the texture is not scratchy.

We recommend that you do not wash cashmere garments after each use, but rather every four times or so. WILD WOOL garments must be hand washed or machine washed on a wool program (max. 30 degrees) and no centrifugation with special detergents for cashmere/wool (Ph 8+). The optimal way to dry your cashmere garment is to lay it flat on a clean, dry towel.

The friction that comes as a result of using new cashmere garments causes small balls of fluff to form on the surface of the garment. Where balls of fluff are called pilling. This is completely normal and does not necessarily indicate poor quality.

Regular "rest" between wears will prevent pilling. When the garment is allowed to "rest", the fibers in the fabric can bounce back to their original part, making them more resilient and resulting in less pilling. Regular and careful washing and carrying out the pilling removal process explained below also helps to prevent and reduce pilling.

Pilling can be easily removed using a cashmere. Never use a razor or scissors as this will damage the fibers and only make it worse. We recommend removing the garments with the comb before washing. Pull the cashmere comb over the garment to remove the small balls of lint. It is important that the garment is placed on a flat surface while combing with the cashmere comb. Once all pilling is removed, wash the garment as directed and your garment will look brand new again. If you do this process 1-3 times in the beginning, you will notice that pilling decreases and disappears for good over time.

Ply indicates how many threads are twisted together in the finished yarn. Two-ply yarn indicates that two threads have been twisted together to make the yarn used to knit the garment. WILD WOOL garments are mostly knitted in two-ply yarn.

Micron is the measurements of the cashmere fiber diameter. The diameter of the fibers will vary from 15-19 microns. The lower the thickness (micron), the softer the yarn.

Within the textile industry, the word gauge (gg) is often used. Gauge is a measure that tells how many stitches per inch are used. For example, in a 16 gauge fabric, 16 stitches per inch are used. A rule of thumb is that the lower the gauge, the thicker the garment. For example, an 8 gauge sweater is much thicker than a 16 gauge.