Cashmere, wool, mohair, alpaca... which one is more warm?
If you want to buy affordable, soft, and cost-effective woolen fabrics, it is essential to have an understanding of animal hair materials. Knowing the market conditions makes it easy to find good products. Knowing how the purchased sweater is produced can also enable better selection of environmentally responsible products. Due to differences in textile and clothing standards among countries, this article mainly introduces the situation of clothing produced and sold in France.
- Wool (La laine de mouton)
Firstly, let's take a look at the traditional and widely used wool, with Scottish wool being a representative example, which has excellent warmth retention. The French people have also been using woolen products since their grandmother's generation hand knitted sweaters. Although the sweaters woven are slightly stiff, their warmth is beyond doubt. To increase its softness, it is usually mixed with other natural or synthetic fibers.
Advantages: Cold resistant and wear-resistant, fearless of moisture;
Disadvantages: Heavy weight, slightly rough, not suitable for skin prone to allergies.
Relatively suitable as a raw material for large clothing such as coats, jackets, etc.
- Baby Wool(La laine d'Agneau)
Baby wool is divided into two categories: baby wool and new baby wool. The difference between these two is the length of the fibers.
Baby wool has shorter fibers and is softer and fresher, but as a result, it also has poorer insulation against the cold. The new baby wool not only has a comfortable feel, but also provides outstanding warmth. The natural oil content of the fiber itself gives it water resistance, which is important for enduring the humid and cold winter season (except in the northeast, most regions of France have heavy rainfall in winter).
Advantages: Moisture resistant, soft, and warm;
Disadvantage: None.
High necked sweaters made from baby wool do not cause discomfort in the neck.
- Merino Wool (La aine m é rinos)
Although Merino comes from Spanish, in reality, the merino wool are a breed from Australia.
Merino Wool is comfortable, elastic, and durable. Compared to ordinary wool, it is finer and softer, and does not prick people. This type of wool also has other benefits, as its fiber structure can slow down the occurrence of unpleasant odors.
Advantages: Good temperature regulation, it won't get hot or cold in cold weather or rushing on the bus;
Disadvantage: It is easy to become loose.
The comfort level of the second layer of skin makes it suitable for use in sportswear, such as sportswear for hiking or running. It is also suitable for making children's clothing or clothing that needs to be worn close to the body, such as skirts or two-piece sets.
- Alpaca(L'alpaga)
Alpaca belongs to the family Camelidae in the order Artiodactyla and mainly inhabits the Andes mountain range. The characteristics of alpaca fiber are that it is soft while also providing warmth, making it lighter than wool.
Advantages: Soft and lightweight;
Disadvantages: Low production, high price, one alpaca can only produce two or three kilograms of alpaca wool per year.
The fine fibers and good warmth of alpaca are suitable for men's suits.
Mohair refers to the coat of Angora goats (ch è vre Angora), and should not be confused with lapin Angora rabbits, whose fur is called Angora. According to the age of Angora goats, there is a distinction between mohair and kid mohair. Kid mohair is softer.
The coat of Angora goats is long and curly, which can be used to make lightweight and warm woolen fabrics. Easy to color, and even for loose and hollow fabrics, it can be well shaped.
Advantages: Fluffy and smooth, difficult to felt and shrink;
Disadvantages: Lack of elasticity, easy to scratch.
Suitable for 80s retro style oversized sweaters
- Cashmere (Le cachemire)
Cashmere is a popular and common material, originating from goats in Inner Mongolia, China and the Mongolian Plateau region. The quantity of yarn determines the thickness of cashmere fabric. The fibers of cashmere are extremely fine, and it takes thousands of cashmere to obtain a fragile yarn. Therefore, two yarns need to be combined into one strand to weave it more firmly.
It is the quality of these slender and moderately long fluff fibers that determines the quality of a sweater. A sweater woven with two strands of yarn can be worn all year round, while a sweater woven with four or even more strands of yarn can withstand cold weather. These differences will also affect the price of the product.
In recent years, this product targeting high-end consumer groups has gradually become common. In order to choose truly high-quality cashmere fabrics, one should be careful of the softness of the hand feel of the product. It is very likely that the yarn mixed with short fibers during weaving will be extremely durable.
Advantages: Soft and warm, cashmere is ten times lighter than ordinary wool;
Disadvantage: Even high-quality cashmere fabrics are often prone to pilling.
