Regenerated Cashmere Sweaters

The Kate Stoltz Regenerated Cashmere sweater collection is made in a small artisanal mill in Italy out of 75% regenerated cashmere, 20% new cashmere and 5% recycled wool. 

Why choose regenerated cashmere instead of new virgin cashmere fibers? The answer is simple: Producing cashmere is causing significant damage to local wildlife, the environment and grasslands that are being used to raise cashmere goats, especially in Mongolia and China.

 High quality cashmere production relies on natural grasslands in very limited geographies that are slowly being turned into desert. According to Science Magazine, 80% of this desertification is due to larger than sustainable goat herds eating natural vegetation faster than it can grow back. Forbes magazine reports these increasing herd sizes are also endangering other native wild life such as snow leopards, saiga, ibex, wild yak, gazelles, wild camels and Argali by forcing them out of their natural habitat and reducing the vegetation they can eat.

Each new cashmere sweater produced requires a year's worth of hair growth from at least four goats. Fast fashion's lowering prices has greatly increased the pressure on farmers to produce more fibers for lower prices. While the hair on the goats grows back every year, the ever increasing global demand for cashmere greatly exceeds the amount that can be sustainably and ethically produced.

 Using expertly regenerated fibers allows us to offer a beautiful, high quality cashmere sweater while dramatically decreasing the dependence on generating precious new natural resources.

What is regenerated cashmere? Regenerated cashmere is made out of up-cycled cashmere fibers. The regenerated cashmere used in the Kate Stoltz sweaters comes from a small artisanal mill in Tuscany, Italy that ensures the fibers are of similar high quality you would expect to find in the rest of their cashmere products.

What is the process of regenerating cashmere? The process of regenerating cashmere fibers is a lengthy one completed by artisans specifically trained for the task.

First, these trained artisans take cashmere sweaters that are no longer being worn because of outdated colors, cuts or because of missing buttons. The sweaters are sorted and put through a vigorous quality test to ensure its fibers are 100% cashmere and of good quality. The approved sweater's buttons, labels and trims are carefully removed before the knits are passed through a machine to shred them back to their original fiber form. The fibers are expertly cleaned then mixed with a small percentage of new cashmere fibers to help increase the longevity of the fiber. Finally, the fibers are dyed into the final color and respun back into yarn onto cones. At this point, the fibers are ready to be knit into a new cozy sweater that looks and feels soft and luxurious.