Cotton to cashmere - natural fibres are best!

Cotton, lambswool and cashmereall have unique characteristics. Here, we explain what makes these natural fibres so special.

It might be the soft drape of cotton, the warmth of lambswool or the luxury of cashmere. Whatever the appeal, the natural fibres of cotton, lambswool and cashmereoffer a special experience that cannot be matched by synthetics.

No one knows exactly how long cotton has been used by mankind, but archaeologists have found scraps of cotton cloth in caves in Mexico that are at least 7.000 years old. Today, cotton is one of the world's most widely grown crops.

The comfort and softness of cotton against the skin is due to its excellent absorbing qualities. Cotton garments quickly absorb perspiration, thus keeping the wearer more comfortable.


Good quality cotton has a matte lustre, a pleasant drape and feels smooth and warm to the touch. One of cotton's less popular characteristics is that it can wrinkle very easily, but technical innovation has led to the creation of a number of treatments which can be used to treat cotton fabric so that it will retain that crisp, freshly ironed look for much longer.

The sheep's ability to stay dry and warm in freezing weather and pouring rain was also spotted by mankind many centuries ago. Wool is a great insulator and highly water resistant. This is because wool fibres, unlike hair or fur, have a hard, water-repellent outer layer that surrounds each hollow fibre.

Lambswool is a wonderful heat insulator. The crimp of the wool produces insulating air spaces that retain heat next to the body while the hard outer surface of lambswool fibres takes moisture away from the body. Because lambswool has this ability to regulate temperature and let the body breathe, it is ideally suited to changing weather conditions and the vagaries of the British climate.

In an age where allergies are commonplace, lambswool has another important benefit. It is not well-known that lambswool is also the most hypoallergenic of all wools. Lambswool is even resistant to dust mites making lambswool clothing an ideal choice for sufferers of common allergies and asthma.
Cashmerewool, known for its exquisite softness, is derived from fine haired Kashmir goats that live in the coldest, least hospitable parts of the planet. Each animal only produces around 150 grammes of cashmereper year - hence the luxury status and added expense of cashmereproducts.

Cashmeregoats produce a double fleece consisting of a fine, soft under coat of hair mingled with a straighter and much coarser outer coating of hair called guard hair, which cannot be used. The cashmere fibres must also go through a series of complex de-hairing, washing and carding before it is ready for use.

The natural crimp of cashmerefibers allows the fibres to interlock during processing and means they can then be spun into an exceptionally fine and lightweight fabric. The crimp of the fibre correlates with the fineness of the spun yarn and the softness of the finished product. The fabric retains the loft of the fibres which means that cashmereis wonderfully warm, but has hardly any weight.

The good news is that all

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