Lanificio Cariaggi

Head and Shoulder above the Rest
“Lanificio” in Italian means spinning mill. Lanificio Cariaggi therefore translates to the Cariaggi spinning mill. Italy, like Scotland, is regarded in the world of luxury as the other home of the world’s finest spinners and knitters.

Cariaggi, together with Todd & Duncan (the history of which is covered here), are the two yarn spinners that are renowned for being the world’s best cashmere and cashmere blend spinners. Whilst we use Todd & Duncan’s 100% cashmere yarn for its slightly more robust handle, we have chosen to use Cariaggi’s cashmere silk blend to make our warmer weather garments - a specialty of Cariaggi that they are renowned for.

Lanificio Cariaggi is known as the world's preeminent spinner of the finest cashmere blend yarns

The Story of Lanificio Cariaggi
Cariaggi is based in the historic town of Cagli, in the the Marche Region of Italy, a region renowned for its beautiful landscape, stunning coastline, historic hilltops and limestone cliffs.

The history of Lanificio Cariaggi dates back to 1958 when Aurelio Cariaggi first set up the mill. Through half a century of relentless pursuit for perfection through product research, together with the natural benefits afforded to the mill by the locale including the purity of its nearby water source and air, it grew to become one of the titans of the textile industry, boasting a customer base that includes the world’s most exclusive luxury brands.

Such was Aurelio Cariaggi’s contribution, that the Municipality of Cagli named a street after the founder’s name - the road that Lanificio Cariaggi is on is now called Via Aurelio Cariaggi.

The finest raw fibres, carefully chosen by Cariaggi to be spun into the world's most luxurious yarns for heirloom quality knitwear

Relentless Pursuit of Perfection
Since the 1970s, Cariaggi has made a priority to invest heavily on innovation. This is in part, what has set it apart from the rest. Whilst remaining true to its roots and founding philosophies of always striving for the very best, and holding itself to the highest quality standards imaginable, it continues to invest year after year in improving its processes and the quality of its yarns.

Cashmere Silk - One of a Kind Yarn
Their cashmere silk yarn is a great example of their combination of artisanal craftsmanship and technological innovation - luscious, soft, fine, yet robust and long-lasting, it is testament to Cariaggi’s formidable reputation as one of the world’s greatest fine yarn spinners.

Cashmere is soft and has the most remarkable insulating qualities, but at the height of summer, can make it a bit too hot to wear. Silk on the other hand is a light weight, soft, and airy fibre that is perfect of hot water, but on its own, can be a little too delicate.

Together, the knitted textile can boast the best of both worlds - the volume, temperature regulating properties of cashmere, and the lightweightedness and airiness of silk that allows one to breathe at the height of summer. It is no accident that one of the warmer countries in Europe pursued this idea to such perfection.

Cariaggi's edge lies in their ability to combine innovation with traditional Italian artisanship

Combining two of the world’s most luxurious fibres was no mean feat; the natural properties of the two fibres being so different - one comes from a mountain goat in the Himalayas, the other is the byproduct of silkworms spinning themselves into a cocoon. But through 60 years of research and perfection, Cariaggi’s cashmere blend has now been taken to a level that is unlike any other knitted textiles around. It has a truly “melt in your hand” texture - the softness cannot be compared to any other fine fibre, not even the finest merino or cotton can compare to the luxuriousness that is cashmere silk.