CASHMERE MANIA
Not the smallest piece of cashmere should be wasted - or -cashmere mania. This is how my pas-sion to create new products from pre-owned cashmere can be called. I produce hats, snoods, scarves, ponchos, pillows, cardigans and am always looking for new ideas to recycle old cashmere. It all started when I bought some second-hand cashmere jumpers in a car boot sale. I did not think
it was a bargain at first, as they were not in a good condition - stained, bobbled, creased etc., but they were so soft, warm and cozy at the same time, that I couldn’t leave them there in a pile like cute but homeless puppies. I thought I could try and give them another chance. And here the journey started! All the jumpers got washed, bobbles removed, small holes fixed, some even dyed. When they were brought back to life, I took pictures and listed them on Ebay. To be honest, I was really impressed with how much attention they received! Finally, I sold the jumpers for a decent price. It was a great kick for me to go deeper into it. Since then, I started maniacally looking for cash-mere everywhere - in car boot sales, in Charity shops, online and where not. Eventually, I found suppliers who are collecting or buying unwanted clothing, including cashmere. I started buying pre-owned cashmere in bulk. Oh well, it was not that simple! I faced a problem - not all the sweaters could be repaired. Some of them were irreparably damaged. OK, I had then to think of what should I do and how could I still recycle them, because, as you already know, my moto was (and still is) - not the small-est piece of cashmere should be wasted! I tried to remake them. I’m not a seamstress nor a designer and my sewing experience was so poor, that I only knew how to thread a sewing machine and (maybe) make a straight seam. I tried - two old sweaters turned in to one new. I used scraps to make a shawl. I listed them on Ebay, sold and received nice compliments from the buyers. That was very encouraging. I started looking for new ideas, new ways to recycle cashmere, and how to use even the smallest pieces of it. You probably think, oh what a good business niche she has found! Is it a business? I'd rather say it is a great hobby and I love it! I like the process itself; I like the idea that I am contributing to ecological sustainability (ok, not much, but every little counts). But the biggest benefit and most inspiring thing is nice customer’s' reviews, and it is not only positive feedback on Ebay, happy buyers send me lovely postcards and even their pre-owned cashmere jumpers so I can recycle and bring them back to life. How do I the recycle cashmere? Old sweaters are sorted, the ones in good condition are washed, bobbles removed, steamed and sold as a second-hand cashmere. Damaged cashmere clothes are washed, dyed if needed, cut to separate pieces and this is how I have a material for producing new, cozy and warm cashmere products. By the way, have I men-tioned cashmere craze? LOL
Why is cashmere so expensive? The reason that the fabric is so pricey is that Kashmir goats only produce around 113 g of cash-mere fibre each annually. It takes around two goats every year to produce enough fibre to make a single jumper. Clothes made from cashmere are up to eight times warmer than sheep’s wool and are extremely soft to touch.
