What is a cashmere sweater?
There are many kinds of knitted sweaters. In addition to cashmere sweaters, there are also wool, camel, yak, and rabbit sweaters. Clothes made of wool and other raw materials are processed and woven as the main raw material, and some even claim to be “imitation cashmere” or “sheep wool”, which makes people feel that they are looking at smoke and mirrors.
FZ/T 73009-2021 “Cashmere Knitwear”stipulates that fine and carded pure This standard applies to cashmere knitwear and cashmere blended knitwear containing 30% or more of cashmere. Judging from the scope of application of the standard, only when the cashmere content is not less than 30% can it be evaluated according to the standards of cashmere knitwear.
In other words, when buying cashmere sweaters, it is not enough to just look at the product name. You must also pay special attention to the fiber content on the label.In addition to pure cashmere products, in cashmere blended products, the cashmere content must be ≥30% to be considered a true cashmere sweater.
Tips on Cashmere Sweaters
Because the price of cashmere sweaters is generally higher, consumers have more confusion and doubts when purchasing. At this time, the following misunderstandings should be avoided:
Myth 1: Expensive cashmere will not pill
Pilling is caused by friction on the surface of the textile, causing the fiber head end to expose the yarn, resulting in fuzzing.
Textiles made of any raw material will have varying degrees of pilling. Because wool is naturally more curled, it is easier to pill than cashmere. However, the tightness of the yarn itself, the structure of the fabric and even the way you wear it have a far more serious impact on pilling than the fiber raw materials. Therefore, cashmere sweaters will also pill. Whether or not the product is pilling cannot be used to determine whether the raw material of the product is cashmere.
Myth 2: Cashmere is too expensive, but sheep’s wool is almost the same
Some products will be advertised as “sheep wool” sweaters, and the price is only half or even one-tenth of the cashmere sweaters.
In fact, there is no fiber name “sheep wool” in my country’s national standards.The so-called sheep wool is just It is some of the finer fibers in sheep wool.
Although “cashmere” and “sheep wool” are both derived from the word “sheep”, their essences are very different. . What we usually call cashmere is the cashmere fiber from goats, and whatever the fineness is from sheep, it can only be called sheep wool (or wool).
Shopping tips
To choose a high-quality cashmere sweater, consumers can make a preliminary judgment on the quality of the cashmere sweater through the three information on the product label, combined with the feel and smell.
#touch#
When purchasing cashmere knitwear, the softness can be directly felt by touch.
Cashmere sweaters have a smooth and waxy feel, are light in weight, and do not feel “tight” when worn on the body. The woolen sweater feels fuller and thicker, while the mercerized woolen sweater feels smoother. But it should be noted that some wool sweaters feel slippery because more softeners are added to the wool sweaters during post-processing, and the smooth feeling will remain after being touched.
# smell a smell#
After cashmere fiber is obtained from cashmere goats, it must go through a series of spinning, weaving, and dyeing process steps such as impurity removal, carding, strip making, yarn making, and manufacturing.
In the processing process, sometimes in order to facilitate manufacturing or facilitate consumer care, lubrication or anti-corrosion will be added to the manufacturing process. Balls, anti-static additives. If too much is added, it will leave odor on the clothes. Some additives are not good for health and environmental protection, and some are prone to blackening of color and the growth of moths during storage.
FZ/T 73009—2021 “Cashmere Knitwear”For related products It is required to check the methylene chloride soluble substances. If the content is too high, it means that more oil is added during the processing.
Although this indicator requires professional laboratory testing to obtain it, consumers can also initially identify it by smelling the smell. Inferior products are produced, because products with a lot of oil tend to retain an odor similar to engine oil.
# Look at the ingredient indicators#
�The score is the most important indicator of a cashmere sweater, and the cashmere content directly determines the cost of a cashmere sweater. GB/T 29862-2013 “Labeling of Fiber Content of Textiles” clearly states that due to the morphological variation of cashmere fibers, cashmere will appear “suspected of wool”. Products with a cashmere content of 95% or above and suspected wool ≤5% can be labeled as “100% cashmere”, “pure cashmere” or “all cashmere”. In other words, the amount of suspected wool in pure cashmere products must be ≤5%.
# See security category#
Some consumers buy cashmere sweaters in pursuit of close-fitting comfort, while others are accustomed to wearing cashmere sweaters (trousers) outside their autumn clothes and autumn trousers. GB 18401-2010 “National Basic Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products” divides textiles into three types according to their end use: textile products for infants and young children, textile products that directly contact the skin, and textile products that do not directly contact the skin. , represented by A, B, and C respectively.
Consumers can choose the corresponding level of products based on their own wearing habits when purchasing. If you need to wear it close to the body, you should choose products with safety category B, so that safety and comfort can be guaranteed.
# See quality level#
FZ/T 73009-2021 “Cashmere Knitwear”The product grades specified can be divided into three categories: high-quality products, first-class products, and qualified products.
In addition to some higher technical requirements than first-class products, premium products also specifically propose that for pure cashmere products, the average cashmere fiber The fineness should be ≤15.5μm. This index requirement plays a decisive role in improving the feel of cashmere sweaters.
Therefore, consumers who have certain requirements for quality must pay attention to the quality on the product label when purchasing cashmere products. grade. High-quality cashmere sweaters are better than other grades of products in terms of fineness, pilling, and oil content. Therefore, their feel, wearing comfort, and quality are superior to other products.
