Cashmere
Cashmere is the softest and most elegant type of wool. The name of this fabric is derived from the name of the area, Kashmir, India, where its production was introduced. Today the main suppliers of the material for high quality cashmere are China and Mongolia. Cashmere is made of underhair, thin and soft, of a Tibetan goat living in the mountains, approximately 2.5 — 2.8 mls above the sea level, where the temperature never exceeds 50F. It is the harsh climate that makes cashmere so incredibly light and coldproof. Breeders have tried to breed Cashmere goats in other locations such as Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland. However, in other climate zones the precious underhair would always lose its quality.
In spring, when the cold is over and the goats do not need their fur anymore, Cashmere fur is manually pulled out or combed out with a special comb. One goat generates no more than 150 grams of fur a year. Thus, to knit a sweater one would need fur
The history of cashmere dates back to the ancient civilizations, the Mahabharata era. At that time cashmere shawls were valued by emperors, kings, princes, rules, and noble men. Mongolia and the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia were the main suppliers of cashmere fur.
How does one distinguish between wool and cashmere? While a human hair is 75 microns in diameter, cashmere fiber is thinner than 15 mikrons.That’s why cashmere is so smooth to touch.Cashmere fabric is very warm, gentle, light, and durable, and never causes any allergies.
Merino wool
Merino wool is a wool of a merino, a sheep breed.It must be always sheared off from a particular spot on the sheep’s body, withers, to be precise, as the wool growing on the sheep’s withers is particularly good.Merino is a fine wool, with fibers thinner than 24 microns; it is long and white in color and is characterized by superb thermostatic and water-absorbing qualities.Due to particularities of the growth process and a distinct natural curl, merino wool is rather elastic.The fabrics made of this wool are ideal for manufacturing of light, warm, elastic, wrinkle-free, and comfortable clothing products.Another important quality of this wool is that it does not create any skin irritation and may be recommended as a perfect choice for manufacturing of children’s cloths.
Merino wool is more expensive than the usual wool.Very rarely do they mix other fibers with it, and if they do, it is done merely to reduce the price of the fabric, not to improve its quality as it might be the case with other fabrics; the quality of merino wool is alwaysimpeccable.
Virgin Wool or New Wool
Virgin Wool (New Wool) is a wool sheared off, combed out or pulled out from molting sheep or molting lambs.It never goes through a preliminary processing.Worded differently, this type of wool is virgin, unmixed, and never used before, which makes it especially gentle and soft.
Mohair
Mohair is a wool of angora goats.These goats originated in the Turkish province of Angora; hence the name of the breed.As their wool was considered highly valuable, not only was it banned to export the wool, it was not permitted to take the goats out of the country.However, in 1820s European conquerors began to export both the wool and the goats from Turkey.Yet the goats could live only in South America and Texas, the areas having the climate similar to that in their native Turkey. The yarn made of this wool was called mohair (derived from the Turkish «muyhyar,» which stands for the best goat hair).Eventually this term became wide-spread.Mohair is characterized by elasticity, light weight, and warmth.It is easy to clean and to dye, and makes the fabric shine.
Angora
Angora.Presently the term angora refers only to rabbit fur.The origin of this material also had to do with angora goats, banned for export from Turkey.Numerous attempts to manufacture a wool compatible with real angora were made, and the Chinese were rather successful in these attempts, producing a yarn made of rabbit wool and calling it angora.Eventually the name became common and in fact shifted to the rabbit breed used for the production.Angora wool is fluffy, soft and warm.However, it becomes easily worn out, a problem that cannot be overcome.As a result, very rarely is it used unmixed; rather, other fibers are added to angora to produce suitable fabrics.
Alpaca
Alpaca is a domesticated breed of a South American lama, a humpless camel living in the high mountain areas of Chile, Peru and Bolivia.The breed originated as a hybrid of a guanaco and a vicuna.Twenty-two color tones are distinguishable in the alpaca wool’s color spectrum, ranging from virgin white, beige and sliver to brown and even black.Since alpaca has long fiber
This wool is produced by shearing.One animal may generate nearly 3.7 lbs of wool.
Alpaca wool is a major export commodity in Peru and Chile.No attempts to breed this animal in Europe or Africa have been successful.One of its particularities is that no naphthalene may be used to keep it safe.Instead, lavender, tobacco and cyder are utilized as anti—moth solutions for this wool.Products made of alpaca maintain marketable appearance for many years of usage.
Cotton
Cotton is clearly the most popular textile raw material. Although it was known in India as early as in the 7th century B.C., its production reached Europe only 2,400 years later, introduced in England in 1772.The unique nature of the threads makes this fabric extremely firm:Forming a spiral, they are kind of hinged to each other.
Cotton is very good for hygiene purposes, as being alkali resistant, it may be safely washed.Cotton does not block access to the air and absorbs water easily; it is soft, wear-and-tear resistant, and requires simple maintenance.Cotton is easy to dye and rather sun resistant.Comparing it with other natural fibers, one would conclude that its warming effect is greater than that created by flax.Cotton is firmer than wool but less firm than flax or silk.Cotton products are easy to wash, if soaked in water for some time before washing.
Rayon
Rayon is the first synthetic fiber created as early as at the end of the 19th century.Yet as of today, it still has not lost its importance.Rayon is made of natural material, cellulose, and so of all chemically produced fibers it is the most natural one.Modification of the thickness and the nature of its fibers allow to produce fabrics that are very similar to wool, cotton, silk, and flax.
As to the characteristics of rayon, it is smooth to the touch, airproof, easy to dye, water-absorbing, and has a silk gloss finish.It keeps its color for a long time, and neither fades out, nor accumulates static electricity. Linings of SAMOS Fashion Group’s products are made of this fabric.
Membrane
For some of our products, SAMOS Fashion Group uses fabrics produced by:
- — Loro Piana (Storm System line).Loro Piana’s Storm System represents a new generation of a fabric combining the best insulation and thermal qualities of wool, cashmere, and other natural fibers, and utilizing rainproof and windproof technologies.A membrane is attached to the backside of a fabric, allowing it to breath, keeping the body warm, and protecting the body from water and rain.This combination guarantees that the products made of Loro Piana fabrics remain elegant and comfortable in any weather.
- — Corozo (buttons) is made of tagua nuts growing in Ecuador.Each button has a unique image.In terms of composure, firmness and color, corozo is similar to ivory and consequently is commonly known as «vegetable ivory.»