What is the difference between wool and cashmere?

Cashmere and wool are both natural fibers produced by animals, but they have slightly different characteristics.

Wool is produced by sheep, goats and other fleece-producing animals. So to be completely accurate, wool is a large category within which cashmere sits.

There is a big difference in quality between different wools from the coarsest to the finest. Wool can be thick and coarse, and in this case is often used to make carpets and upholstery, or even to serve as insulation materials. And the finest wools are used to make warm and durable clothing such as sweaters and coats, pants and especially socks. Wool is known for its insulating properties, it is water resistant and it is easy to dye. As a reminder, warm clothing is insulating clothing! There is no warm clothing itself (unless it has a small battery and a heater), there are only clothing that insulates against the cold. If you want warm socks, you need wool socks .

Cashmere, on the other hand, is produced by goats in the mountainous region of Central Asia, including northern India, Pakistan, Mongolia, China and Iran. It is finer and softer than wool, and is often used to make delicate garments like sweaters, scarves and hats. Cashmere is also lighter than wool, making it more comfortable to wear. It is also recognized for its exceptional warmth, for its softness, for its finesse and for its resistance. If cashmere is softer than wool, it is because, on average, the fibers are finer. However, it is the fineness of the fibers that makes the textile soft. This is why cashmere socks are so soft. The same goes for cashmere hats , especially since the skin on the face is very sensitive to softness because it is thin and has more nerve endings.

It is also important to note that cashmere is more expensive than wool due to the amount of fiber produced by goats. Cashmere is a rare fiber, only the hair from the lower abdomen and flanks of goats is used to produce cashmere fiber, which is why it is more expensive. To give you orders of magnitude, global cashmere production is 15,000 tonnes.

In summary, wool and cashmere are both natural animal fibers produced by animals, but cashmere is finer, softer and lighter than wool, and is therefore often used for more delicate clothing. However, cashmere is also more expensive than wool due to its scarcity.

Finally, to end with a little anecdote, the finest fibers in the world do not come from cashmere but from merino wool. To our knowledge, this is a wool obtained from Loro Piana of 12 microns (when cashmere is often around 15-16 microns. This wool is called The Gift of Kings and is exclusive to Loro Piana.