Grade A is the finest and longest cashmere fibre, measuring under 14 microns in diameter. It is the softest against the skin, the most durable, and the least prone to pilling — the grade that genuinely improves with age. Grade B is coarser and shorter, acceptable in quality but noticeably different in hand and longevity. Grade C is the lowest classification, often used in blended or budget products, where the cashmere content is doing little of the work.

The finest cashmere comes from Mongolia, where the goats endure some of the most extreme temperature variations on earth — bitter winters followed by warm summers. It is this climatic stress that drives the animal to produce an exceptionally fine, dense undercoat. The result is fibre with a fineness and crimp that other regions struggle to match.

Mongolia and China together produce the vast majority of the world's cashmere supply, but not all of it is equal. Altitude, climate, and the traditional hand-combing practices of nomadic herders all influence fibre quality. Provenance matters — which is why at Laing, we are specific about where ours comes from.

Start with touch. High quality cashmere feels immediately soft and substantial against bare skin — never scratchy, never papery thin. The knit should be even and consistent, with no loose threads or thin patches when held to the light.

Try the scrunch test: gather the fabric in your palm, hold briefly, then release. Quality cashmere springs back cleanly. If it stays creased, the fibre is too short.

All natural cashmere will pill to some degree in areas of natural friction — under the arms, at the cuffs, where a bag strap sits. This is not a defect. It is simply how the fibre behaves, and it is a sign you are wearing it well.

The difference with high quality cashmere is in degree and duration. A well-made piece from Grade A fibre will pill minimally, and the pilling will ease after the first few wears as the looser surface fibres work themselves out. A poorly made piece will pill immediately and persistently — and that does not improve with time.

Where cashmere comes from directly affects the quality of the fibre. The harshest climates — Mongolia's steppe in particular, with winters reaching minus forty degrees — produce goats with the finest, densest undercoats. That climatic stress is what creates fibre fine enough to measure below 16 microns. More temperate regions produce coarser, shorter fibre, however it is labelled.

A vertical cashmere mill controls the entire production process under one roof — from sourcing and sorting the raw fibre through to spinning, dyeing, knitting, and finishing the finished garment. Nothing is outsourced to third parties at different stages of the chain.

The significance for quality is considerable. At every step, the same standards apply, the same hands are responsible, and any issue can be identified and corrected immediately. There are no handoffs between suppliers where quality can slip or accountability become blurred.

The finest fibre in the world can be undermined by poor construction. Knitting gauge — the density of stitches — determines how well a garment holds its shape over time. A tighter knit is more resilient and pills less; a loose knit feels soft initially but stretches and degrades quickly. Ply matters too: two-ply yarn, two strands twisted together, is significantly more durable than single-ply.

Finishing is where the character of a cashmere piece is finally set. Washing, steaming, and hand-pressing after knitting relaxes the fibres and produces the softness and bloom that defines a well-made garment. Skip this stage, and even good cashmere will feel flat and uneven.

A well-made cashmere garment, cared for properly, should last decades. This is not hyperbole — it is one of cashmere's most compelling qualities, and one of the strongest arguments for investing in quality from the outset.

The variables are fibre grade, construction, and care. Grade A fibre, knitted to a proper gauge in two-ply yarn and finished well, will outlast a cheaper alternative many times over. A single high-quality piece, worn regularly and washed correctly, will still be beautiful in ten or fifteen years. The same cannot be said for fast-fashion cashmere, which may not survive a single season intact.

Care for it well — fold rather than hang, wash gently, rest it between wears — and cashmere rewards that attention in kind. It is one of the few things in a wardrobe that genuinely gets better with age.

Considered on cost-per-wear, cashmere is one of the most rational purchases in a wardrobe. A well-made piece worn regularly across many years — and many seasons, given cashmere's natural temperature regulation — will cost far less per wear than a cheaper alternative replaced every season.

The question is less whether cashmere is worth it, and more whether the specific piece is worth it. Grade A fibre, honest construction, a brand that stands behind what it makes — these are the things that determine whether an investment pays off. Buy well once, and you won't need to buy again.