They call me “Snobby”, and actually I am a bit, but not because I love to boast; on the contrary, it’s because I live where very few brave people dare to go. They look for me, not your ordinary goat, but rather a Cashmere goat.
I belong to a noble breed called Hircus, and I roam in Central Asia along the Gobi Desert frontier. The territory I live in is harsh and rugged, particularly in the mountainous regions of China, Mongolia, Iran, Tibet, Afghanistan, India and areas of the former Soviet Union.
The extremely rigid temperatures and the highland landscape make my rearing arduous. Yet, it’s from the roughest rangelands, hit by gelid winds and blizzards, that you get the highest quality Cashmere. This name comes from Kashmir, where my gift was first discovered in the 19th century. Since then, my praised “golden coat”, has been esteemed for its extraordinary softness, warmth and resilience that make it extremely precious.
My fleece is very full, long and durable, but its secret is “underneath”, where the softest and finest fibers are, the layer of fluffy inner woolly duvet, from which Cashmere is made. A woven fabric that insulates against both the cold and the heat. Like the duvet, the outermost guard hair can be various colors, from pure white to black, with a spectrum of shades in between.
What makes this woven fabric so special? Its longer fibers and fineness, at 14/16 thousandths of a millimeter, and the difficulty in obtaining it; the duvet yield collected from one goat is barely enough for one sweater.
To obtain it, a special long-toothed hooked comb is used to gently groom a goat at regular intervals, and always with gratitude during the molting season: the springtime. This is a special moment when our connection deepens. The guard hair, the thickest outer coat, is cut with scissors. Now, my fleece can be prepared for transformation as it is skillfully washed and worked, then placed on wooden looms, where a final magical metamorphosis occurs.
If I could express what I feel, it would be pride, because being the core of the gorgeous creations and the aims of Snobby Sheep makes me feel important, just like humane respect and care for me are essential. I am life, luxury, beauty and softness, and I would love to be given to everyone, with immense joy. Please pardon my big doses of self-esteem; while it is true that pleasing everyone is impossible, I know I can make many special people really happy.
Along its path, Snobby Sheep has always expressly respected these values, taking care to merge Italian know-how with the origins of raw materials, in all its scrupulous phases and transformations from the very first moments in places where time seems to have stopped, to the here and now.
To thrive in championing the right balance between rapidly evolving trends and employing venerable manufacturing techniques is for us the most compelling challenge and embodies the history, the heart and the approach of our brand.
