Luxurious, fashionable, and made in Scotland

Cashmere – or the golden fleece as it’s also known – has been around for centuries.

The wool, synonymous with luxury, comes from the cashmere goat, which is typically found in Inner Mongolia, China, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Afghanistan.

The goats are found in the highest mountain ranges

– an important point as the territory’s temperature extremes are critical to the quality of fibre.

Once shorn, the fleece must be separated from the coarser “guard hair” and so the resulting yield per goat is very small, which contributes to the global opinion of cashmere as a precious material. In fact, it takes a single goat one whole year to produce enough cashmere for a scarf.

Cashmere, a firm favourite with designers, has been around since the 14th Century. By the 18th Century, it was a popular fashion choice. It started off as shawls, being exported to the West from Kashmir and India, and worn by women of the upper classes, before being knitted into jumpers and cardigans, and later woven into fabric.

It is still regarded as a luxury today, prized by the textile and knitwear industries for its softness. Scottish cashmere – cashmere processed in Scotland – is acknowledged to be the best in the world.

Sunday Post fashion expert Wendy Rigg said: “Cashmere is softer and more luxurious than normal wool, and it can be up to eight times warmer because of the fineness of the fibres.

“The harsh climate the cashmere goats live in (including Scotland) means they produce wool

that’s warmer. Additionally, the fabric doesn’t wrinkle, so it will always look elegant. It’s lightweight and doesn’t add bulk.

“Lots of people find wool scratchy and itchy, so cashmere is the way to go. You can go high-end, but places like M&S, Woolovers and Pure Collection offer styles that are more

reasonably priced.”