Where do we source our cashmere?

 Made in Scotland

Sourcing cashmere fibre is a long and intricate process, and of course ethics are part of our approach. From the beginning our cashmere products have been made in the same mill in the Scottish Borders. They are acutely aware of the need to have a sustainable supply of fibres and have been dealing with the same cashmere source for over two decades.

 Cashmere sourced from Mongolia

The raw material for Brora’s cashmere is sourced from Inner Mongolia. Each season the cashmere is collected from collectives and small farms in this remote region between March and June, dependent on how soon the winter ends. The winter season there is very cold, in fact, the colder the winter the better the harvest, and thus the “coats” cannot be removed from the goats until spring.

Ownership of the land tends to belong to the commune and there is not generally a clash between the need for food and fibre. Older goats are culled season to season and provide meat during the winter but this is the same as in any farm situation. The combing process is not painful and no harm whatsoever comes to the animals, they are corralled in the milder weather and the occasion is one of family involvement.

 Attention to sustainability

We pay great care and attention to the sustainability of our supply lines and have been buying our fibre from the same farms for many years. Each farm or collective has a balanced acreage and the animals do not roam wild. We pay our farmers in advance with cash, at least 18 months before the fibre is converted into our knitwear. This ensures that farmers’ income remains stable over the period.

Being sustainable is not a new concept at Brora – it is simply that it has never been branded as such. We have been looking after this issue right from the beginning and, although we do not expect plaudits, it is clearly in everyone’s interests to have a consistent supply of the very finest and best raw material. That is why we visit Mongolia, work with the farmers and pay fair prices, often above the market rate, to secure the pick of the fleeces.