Chapter I - Scarves Out

The first day back at the office after the holidays is a chance to model recently gifted wares and forget about mounting workloads for a little longer. Showmanship is par for the course at the Archibald offices, where quality is our bread and butter. Our intern Will came in strong with a label that spoke volumes- his parents had sprung for a cashmere Burberry scarf. Meanwhile our CTO (that’s Chief Technology Officer) Francesco, who by his own admission had been swept off his feet by the democratisation of the treasured fabric, championed his recently purchased high street cashmere scarf. Needless to say, there was only one winner that day. And it wasn’t the man whose scarf cost £30. The difference in quality was undeniable, but did this mean we had to fork out thousands for the good stuff? We analyzed the two scarves side-by-side, focusing on the feel, durability, and price. There was simply no comparison between them. We thought we might have met our match, a product whose high price was an accurate reflection of its true market value. But after some intense research, we were relieved to discover how wrong we were.

Scotland was exactly what we had been looking for - a place that was true to traditional production methods and relished a slower pace, and the pleasing final results yielded as a consequence.

Chapter II - Cashmere Lesson

We studied product lines from brands renowned for their cashmere quality – dissecting their operations, uncovering the methodology behind their whopping price tags and deriving their underlying value. We discovered that while brands were in a position to market the high grades of cashmere fibres they used, in a large part the difference in quality came down to the finishing rather than the raw product. The evidence was that consumers were often swayed by the buzzword cashmere, but the biggest differentiator and bestower of real quality was how cashmere products were washed, teaseled and woven.

When it comes to finding the manufacturers who do it best, we discovered that as with quite a few other things in life, it was a matter of location, location, location. Where did producers source their cashmere from, and which waters did they wash it in? We had no interest in the mass production plants that had sprung up across China, where corner cutting was the order of the day and shipping deadlines came first. We finally came across a family-owned mill closer to home in Scotland, with significant expertise in textile manufacturing.

It was exactly what we had been looking for - a place that was true to traditional production methods and relished a slower pace, and the pleasing final results yielded as a consequence. We learned from our new Scottish friends that the key to good cashmere is finding the right goat - the longest fibres only come from select breeds such as the Hircus Goats, and entire industries have been established in Scotland to specialize in processing fibers the ‘traditional way’. While the Scots’ wool was sourced locally, the cashmere fibres originated from outer Mongolia, where specific breeds of goat are native to the region, tended to and sheared by nomads using methods that haven’t changed for thousands of years. Fortunately, our Scots have long-standing relationships in place, so they’re able to maintain a consistent supply of the finest cashmere fibres to spin at their own facilities. The skill with which they operate was exhilarating to witness and clear evidence of inherited artistry.

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