Manufacturing
From fiber to yarn
If you not only expect best quality, but also would like to know where our yarns come from and how they have been manufactured, take a look at our yarn processing. There are no secrets from the origin in Kyrgyzstan to the final product in your hands.
1. Animal husbandry - KYRGYZSTAN
Half-way between the east and the west along the legendary silk road lies a land of majestic mountains and nomadic shepherd communities – Kyrgyzstan. Daily life in this remote and relatively untouched region of the world is not for the faint of heart. In brilliant adaptation to winter above 10,000 feet, the indigenous cashmere goats have developed their soft, exceptionally warm and silky downy undercoat, otherwise known as cashmere – soft gold.
Although these goats have long produced fiber capable of competing on the world market, until recently Kyrgyz shepherds had virtually no access to international buyers offering fair market value. We are committed to changing this situation so that their cashmere has an honored identity as one of the world’s finest fibers. It is our passion to contribute that Kyrgyz cashmere can be an engine for social and economic transformation.
The farmers from whom we source our cashmere, mainly live in the districts At-Bashi and Kochkor in the province of Naryn, as well as in the districts of Alay und Chong-Alay in the province of Osh.
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Get to know some of the farmers who provide the natural fibers for our yarns..
2. raw cashmere collection and treatment - Kyrgyzstan
Since 2021, we closely cooperate with the Kyrgyz company Kyrgyz Cashmere LLC, managed by Sy Belohlavek and his team, for collecting the raw cashmere from the farmers. Together with them, we inform shepherds about how to properly collect and sort their fiber by quality grades and have established a tiered payment system in which we pay shepherds fair market value and more for their cashmere fiber.
The years of diligent investment among these communities have resulted in access to high-quality raw cashmere. We travel village-to-village and house-to-house purchasing cashmere that the shepherds have gently hand-combed from each goat. These personal transactions ensure that top quality fiber is being gathered and that the shepherds receive fair compensation for their superb fiber.
The material is then brought to Bishkek, the fibers are pre-cleaned and sorted according to various quality requirements. This way, we assure that we process only the best quality. Raw fibers that cannot comply with the quality standards for our products are re-sold to local traders, who further trade the fibers with clients and processors in China.
3. Scouring - Kyrgyzstan
In order to generate as much value as possible in-country in Kyrgyzstan and thus sustain local employment, our raw cashmere is washed – using detergent from Europe – by the company Enesay Group LTD located in the outskirts of Bishkek (see map). We are proud to be able to make this important processing step in Kyrgyzstan, particularly because we support another enterprise in Kyrgyzstan and are able to provide them with detergents that comply with European standards. This way we can contribute to the efforts of this important local textile company to provide textile value-added services within the context of Kyrgyzstan amidst challenging competitive dynamics with China.
4. dehairing - Kyrgyzstan
In the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, in the free economic Zone «Bishkek» Kyrgyz Cashmere LLC has managed to establish a full scale dehairing line with the support of Cashmere Fibers International Ltd. Since 2010 Kyrgyz Cashmere LLC started piloting and working on various forms of establishing local processing options of cashmere within the country. These efforts finally brought fruit in 2021 and allow pre-processing our cashmere entirely in Kyrgyzstan and then shipping it directly for spinning in Europe. This might seem a small step, but it is big leap for the cashmere industry in Kyrgyzstan.
For us, Kyrgyz Cashmere LLC is the ideal partner – we share the same values and through them, we assure staying closely involved socially and economically in Kyrgyzstan.
5. Spinning - United Kingdom
The Spinning Mill R. Gledhill is located in the small town of Delph in the northeastern part of Manchester. Gledhill was founded in 1936 from a merger with Pingle Mill; textile manufacturing has been carried out at Pingle Mill since 1777. Since its foundation, the capacity of Gledhill has been constantly increased whilst maintaining its versatility, allowing the production of a varied selection of woolen yarns. This is even more noteworthy in context of the economic challenges of the English textile industry overall. The family company is managed in fourth generation, and we are happy to rely on the knowledge, experience, and modern spinning machinery of Gledhill.
6. Dyeing - United Kingdom
Ettrick Yarn Dyers Ltd. was founded in 2000 to continue a modern dyeing unit operated by Laidlaw & Fairgrieve, a well-known company which operated in Scotland. The objective was to retain the expertise of the personnel, which is one of the most experienced dyeing teams in the Scottish Textiles industry. The Company continues to occupy the same dyer’s woodruff expertise and has undertaken an extensive upgrading program since becoming independent in 2000. The fusion of tradition and modernity, and the specific knowledge and expertise of its staff allows Ettrick Yarn Dyers to offer specialized dyeing services for high quality fine fiber yarns.
Ettrick dyies according to the EC Reach Regulation.
