Kinalba cashmere source
Kinalba uses only the finest cashmere fibres – sourced from the Alashan region of Inner Mongolia. Here they raise their flocks of goats at high altitude and allow them to roam freely over the mountain plateaus. It is this unique combination of geographic, climatic and dietary conditions that allows the goats to produce the finest cashmere.
The herdsmen carefully comb the fine hairs from the underbelly of the goats prior to grading the fibres, where they are sorted by hand into colour, micron and length. We select only the most suitable fibres for our colour palette, the finest micron and the optimal length for our processes to ensure you receive an end product that is durable and luxurious – a timeless piece, made to last.
Just before dyeing, our cashmere is de-haired to remove any impurities and course hair, ready for manufacturing.
Dyeing
We dye our cashmere early in the process into a beautiful array of selected Kinalba core colours. Many of these tones are reflective of the Scottish landscape and flora throughout each of the seasons. We use ecological methods of dyeing, such as using natural colourants while avoiding chemicals in the process.
Blending & carding
Once perfectly blended, the cashmere fibres are combed through the carding machine to straighten them up, ready for spinning into yarn.
Spinning
At this point of the process the carded fibres are still delicate and need strengthening. To do this our artisans spin and twist the fibres together to create a very fine and even yarn. This foundational part of the process ensures Kinalba cashmere can be woven into the perfect product.
Warping & weaving
Skilled technicians follow the designer’s instruction, selecting specific coloured yarns. Warp yarns are firstly aligned vertically onto a warp mill and then transferred to a beam ready for the weaving loom. To create the overall desired pattern, the weft yarns are pulled through over and under the warp yarn horizontally using a high-speed shuttle. Kinalba cashmere designs are woven specifically for sophisticated audiences and specific occasions in mind.
Washing & scouring
Scottish Borders water is exceptionally soft and perfect for creating the ideal soap lather. This enhances the natural properties of the fibres and is one of the reasons our cashmere is of the highest standard in the world.
Raising & teaseling
To provide the perfect finish, the surface of our fabrics is ‘raised’ to give the fabric body and create pile direction. We then use teasel heads from nature itself, to create a smooth ripple effect on the surface of the product. All these incremental gains enable us to produce the ultimate handle of the cashmere product.
Quality assurance
Our quality assurance team follow the manufacturing process throughout, checking the product specification at each and every stage. At the end of the whole process, we personally do a final quality check to approve our luxurious products. We hope you love wearing them as much as we do making them.