A Brief Guide to Cashmere

Cashmere has always been tied to exclusivity and luxury. As such, new cashmere garments that are both accessible and affordable upend conventional thoughts surrounding the fiber. So, to get a better grasp on the actual value of the fiber, we talked with Jeffrey Silberman, the chairperson of the Textile Development and Marketing Department at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Read more about the mysterious (and mega-soft) material below.

Why Does Cashmere Cost So Much?

According to Silberman, there are a number of aspects that affect the quality of the fiber — and in turn, the price. There are many different grades of cashmere and four primary types: black, brown, red and white. “The darker the cashmere is when it starts out, the less rare it is,” he said. “But it’s considered lower cashmere in the cashmere markets because it does have to be bleached and that’s where you get the fiber damage.”

Along with the grade, the fineness of the fiber has a significant effect on the price. According to the U.S. Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939, the average diameter of cashmere fibers in a knit product should not exceed 19 microns, and it should not contain more than three percent of fibers that exceed 30 microns. Generally, the finer the fiber, the higher the price. But, the best cashmere fibers also display a superior quality overall. “[The fibers] are going to be smoother, they’re going to be more lustrous and they’re going to be stronger in the more expensive cashmere,” Silberman said.

Companies offering affordable cashmere sweaters often utilize fibers that aren’t the highest grade and don’t disclose the details of the material they use. “Where you’ll see the difference is if you have beautiful long-fiber cashmere,” said Silberman. “It’s going to feel better, it’s going to look better and it’s going to clean better because it’s not going to lint out fibers. The shorter, coarser cashmere is going to lend itself to the cheaper products.” For apparel companies, shorter cashmere is cheaper to buy, cheaper to process and still allows for the “100% Cashmere” label. Few companies offering affordable cashmere, save Everlane, actually reveal the staple length of fibers used in the yarns of the sweaters.

Where Does Cashmere Come From?

Another factor that influences price is the country of origin. While Mongolia and China both produce excellent cashmere, companies can source more affordable cashmere from Turkey, Iran and India. In addition, market forces can create cycles where affordable cashmere sweaters come in and go out. “If [fiber dealers] are oversupplied and they need to get rid of their excess inventory, that may have something to do with it,” Silberman said.

“The people in Ulaanbaatar don’t have a lot of money, and yet every single one of them will wear cashmere. If you told them that they should wear sheep’s wool, they basically think that that’s something to insulate a pipe with.”

So though companies may not use the highest grade cashmere in inexpensive cashmere sweaters, they’re still using real cashmere — and it’s still a great fiber. For Silberman, a telling moment in his view of the fiber came when he was working on a project on cashmere identity for the Mongolian Cashmere FibreMark Society in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. “The people in Ulaanbaatar don’t have a lot of money — they live on the steppes — and yet every single one of them will wear cashmere. If you told them that they should wear sheep’s wool, they basically think that that’s something to insulate a pipe with,” he said. “And I found out from there that you can wash cashmere with dishwashing liquid or shampoo with conditioner, and that they look at cashmere as ‘It’s really cold here and we need something that’s really warm. It’s a functional, utilitarian thing and we’re happy that people want to buy it and sell it for $500 sweaters.’”

With that in mind, a high price and respected provenance should not necessarily be requisites for your own cashmere purchase. “Really what comes down to is that you like the sweater and you like the way it feels,” Silberman said. “If you’re going to take your sweaters and hang them on the wall, that’s one thing. But if you’re getting them to wear, and you like it, I’m not sure that you care if it’s going to cost as much.”

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Facebook and Ray-Ban Launch Sunglasses With Cameras on Them. What Could Go Wrong?

Did you see the news? No? Let me fill you in. Facebook worked with Ray-Ban to make sunglasses with cameras on them. With them, and a quick “Hey, Facebook,” you can take photos or videos of whatever it is you’re looking at. I just have one question: Who asked for this?

Ray-Ban Wayfarers are fine as is. Nothing more, I’ve argued. They should’ve stayed analog. So, who thought slapping two cameras onto the front of them was a smart idea? Further, two cameras with direct connection to a company plagued by user and data privacy issues — and with transparency issues to boot. With Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus in the rearview, and their missions nearly merged by now, are Ray-Ban Stories (yes, that’s what they’re called) a way of warming the general consumer up to the idea of “Facebook on your face?”

The reasons for having a hands-free device, and more specifically a camera, abound. You’re less likely to text (or snap photos) and drive or walk across the street or bike. You can continue with your task at hand while talking on the phone. Getting answers to questions like, “what’s the weather today?” becomes a non-physical task. But, you’re late, Facebook. The features embedded in the Ray-Ban Stories barely supersede those in Snap’s Spectacles, which have been around since 2016. So, what’s the point?

Rayban

With Ray-Ban Stories you open a channel: from your eye-level POV to a Facebook post. You can’t however stream straight from the glasses to a live video or to an actual post. You’ll have to download and then upload manually. It makes for a few more steps between point of capture and posting but it’s for your own safety, Facebook says. Facebook also promises it can’t see the photos and videos you take — only how many you do and how long they are. Plus, for people in your line of sight, awareness is everything: the shutter sound can’t be turned off and an LED light activates when in use.

Want others to see life through your eyes? Well, they literally can, courtesy of these new frames. But tell them to prepare for pixelation: the images captured on Ray-Ban Stories look less like those snapped on new-age iPhones — 12 megapixels vs 5 megapixels— and more like those you use to navigate a Street View on Google Maps. In plainer terms, they suck. Plus, if you have any semblance of camera experience, switching to verbal commands and pointing your eyes at your subject isn’t an easy adjustment. Fast Company Technology Editor, Harry McCracken, says he cut plenty of heads off in the photo-taking process.

For the detail oriented, the Ray-Ban Stories certainly look different from traditional Wayfarers (or Rounds or Meteors, which they’re making, too). In place of anchors, there are two cameras. Worn around the oblivious, these blend in — and feel roughly the same. (They’re only 5 grams heavier.) Although that’s likely what the designers strived for, both are undoubtedly bad things.

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Rayban

Ray-Ban Wayfarer Stories

Ray-Ban x Facebook Ray-Ban

$299.00

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