Cashmere Linen - Softness and Lightness Combined
What is Cashmere Linen?
Cashmere linen is the blend of cashmere and linen fibres in a garment. Cashmere is one of the world’s softest fibres and has the most remarkable insulating qualities, meaning it is perfect for cold weather. However, on its own, cashmere, especially when knitted thick and dense, can be a little too warm for some, and for transitional weather. Linen is light, airy and breathable, the ideal summer fabric, however it can be quite scratchy and stiff on its own.
The combination of these two fibres gives you the best of both of them - the softness and insulating qualities of cashmere, and the lightness and breathability of linen. The resulting fabric is one which is more open and lighter than 100% cashmere, but still retains the remarkable softness of cashmere.
At Colhay’s, we place great importance on using the most appropriate fibre for the needs of the garment. Highlighting the very best of what nature has to offer means that we can then create garments that fit the needs of the person the best.
As such we'd chosen to create our ivy league inspired v neck sweater in a cashmere linen blend.
A Contemporary Take on American Ivy League Sweaters
Inspired by American Ivy League university students’ sweaters during the 1950s, the ivy v neck is a casual, relaxed version that can comfortably be worn over shirts or polos. Unlike our ivy v neck, the original sweaters had a much tighter neckline. We wanted to create a more contemporary version, with a looser fit that suits the fibres it is made from.
The sweater also features a raglan shoulder, in keeping with the original, that accommodates a much wider range of shoulder widths, and also helps the sweater feel casual.
Cashmere Linen: The Best of Both Worlds
The ivy v neck uses a fibre composition of 70% cashmere and 30% linen. This blend gives you the softness and luxury feel of cashmere, whilst still being light and breathable due to the linen. Both fibres are moisture wicking, meaning the ivy v neck is the perfect sweater to wear on beach side holidays, in particular for after swimming when it's a little chilly but you are keen to wear a jumper that dries quickly.
Both the cashmere and the linen we use are the highest quality, ensuring that the final piece is the best it can be.
The Highest Quality Fibres
Our cashmere is sourced from inner Mongolia, and comes from the underbelly of the Capra Hircus Laniger goat. Over time the goats’ fleece has adapted to regulate the extreme changes in temperature within Mongolia - meaning it has exceptional abilities to regulate the temperature of the body it envelopes. It will keep you cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold without overheating you.
The diameter of our cashmere fibres is c. 15.5 microns and length is c. 38mm, making it the world’s finest and longest fibres - thus the most soft and robust.
The cashmere linen yarn is produced by yarn spinners Todd & Duncan, who have 150 years of yarn spinning experience. They are world renowned due to their consistent high quality and hard-wearing yarns. The sweater is knitted, hand-finished and washed by fourth generation heritage knitwear specialists in Hawick, the Scottish Borders. This region is known for their incomparable expertise in the trade. Garments are knitted tightly to minimise gaps and ensure longevity.
View our cashmere linen collection here.