The real sustainable Mongolian cashmere

Mongolian cashmere is soft, breathable, light, regulates body temperature. The cashmere fibers come from the thinnest hair you can find on a goat. Under the external hair, an additional layer is naturally created by the goats as a protection against harsh winters in Mongolia. When spring comes, the herders manually comb their animals to remove these hairs from the normal fur.

The history of cashmere in Mongolia starts between 8000 and 15000 years ago. At that time the goats were still wild but on their way to becoming domesticated. Mongolians raised goats for their milk, their meat, and their skin to make leather. But their hair was barely used. Later on, the hairs were mixed roughly with sheep hairs to make felt or clothes for winter. From late 30ies Mongolia established the first experimental cashmere processing factory. The precious fibers had never been considered as they are now. It was only from that time that herders started to comb their goats.  From this, the Mongolian cashmere was born. While this practice has been performed in South Asia since the fifteen century, it began in Mongolia much more recently.

Nomadic people are raising too many goats for cashmere in Mongolia. The grass has difficulties growing back. Year by year, the green steppe is getting drier due to the overgrazing situation. To prevent land degradation, some active NGOs are on the spot to solve this dramatic situation. We work closely with Sustainable Cashmere Union. Their work consists of collaborating directly with herders to regulate the quantity of their livestock. They purchase cashmere for a higher price with green certifications and full traceability. In addition, they provide training like how to brush their animal, medical assistance, access to financing.

Hypechase is in close contact with ladies for who spinning Mongolian cashmere yarn by hand is a passion for decades. Discreet and working from home, getting in touch with these secret angels was difficult in the first place. It is interesting to discuss the type of yarn you would like to have, whether it is gross, thin, or randomly thick and thin… Handspun cashmere is so rare that people don’t even know it is possible. It is said that if handspun, the fiber remains alive. We gave it a try. The result is astonishing: soft, light, smooth, and alive.

Once you spin by hand, you must knit by hand. Some communities in Mongolia are passionate about making clothes with needles and we appreciate working together. Some of our garments are done by people living in Ulaanbaatar or in the countryside. When you look at the final piece, you see that every centimeter has been carefully made by a human full of goodwill and that no electrical machine has been used throughout the process. And this is some kind of magic!

Felt is used by Mongolian families for centuries to protect their yurts from the wind in extremely cold winters. Felt is made with boiled and compressed hair and results in a dense rug. It is common to wear felt slippers in Mongolia. At Hypechase, we innovate and manufacture felt with pure sustainable cashmere… Nobody believed it was possible, yet, the result is exceptional.