University,theAcademyofScienceofInnerMongolia,
Italy’sUniversityofCamerinoandtheItalianNational
AgencyforNewTechnologies,EnergyandSustainable
EconomicDevelopment.Thishasledtomoreopportunities
forthebrandtodevelopsustainablepracticeswithlocal
partners.LoroPianais thefirstforeigncompanyallowedto
conductresearchoncashmereinChineseterritory,andit
alsopromotestrainingcourseson genetic improvement of
theregion’scashmeregoats.
A DelicateBalance
Thewaycashmereis inextricablyintertwinedwiththese
scientific andecologicalissuesis onekeyreasonJacquet
wasattractedtotheproject.“Ireallywanttogivepeople
theopportunitytohaveanemotionalconnectiontowhat
wearereallytalkingaboutwhenwetalkaboutcashmere.”
Sowhatarewetalkingabout?Thefinestfibresfrom
a cashmerekidgoatare30mminlengthand13.5micron
thin,whilethosefromanadultgoatcouldreach38mm
inlengthandmeasurenomorethan 14 micronsinwidth.
Thesegossamerdimensionstranslateintoveryprecise
qualities—itemsmadefromthebestcashmereare
enchantinglysoft,smooth,lustrous,andabletobestow
warmthwithoutweight.Thesequalitiesaretheresult
ofa highlyspecific climate,andtheyarecompromised
whenthisclimatestrainstosupportmorelifethanit can
bear.Trulyexquisitecashmere,bydefinition,canonlybe
a scarcecommodity.
ForJacquet,cashmereis aboutthisdelicatebalance.
Theherdershespenttimewithremindedhimofhis
grandparents.“Theyallhavethisverypreciserelationship
withnature,becausetheydependonit,”heexplained.
His grandparents had to decide, for example, when to cut
BABY,IT’SYOU
LoroPianapioneeredtheuseof babycashmere,whichis
whatthebrandcallsfibrescollectedfromcashmerekid
goats.Suchfibrescanonlybegatheredoncein eachkid’s
lifetime,whenit is aroundsixmonthsold,andtheyield
of usablefibreis about30gperkid(muchlessthanwhat
anadultgoatwouldyield).It tookLoroPianaa decade
to convinceChinesebreedersto setasidebabycashmere
fibresratherthanmixthemwithfibresfromadultgoats,
whichis testamentto thebrand’s commitment to creating
textiles of the highest quality.thegrassinordertomakehay—doit tooearly,andthe
weathermaynotbedryenoughforhaymaking;doit too
late,andtheanimalswouldhavelesstoeat.
Theherdershavetodecidewhentocombtheirgoatsfor
cashmerefibres—doit tooearly,andthecombedherdmay
notstaywarmenoughtosurvivethecold;doit toolate,
andmuchofthefibrecouldbeshedoutinthegrasslands.
“Naturechangeseveryyear,andyouhavetomakeyour
owndecisions,basedonyourknowledgeandperspective.
It’sreallya balance,andyouhavetotryandstayonbalance
allthetime,”explainedJacquet.
Roiledbydesertificationandclimatechange,this
ecosystemis perhapsnolongerinequilibrium.But
evidenceoftheage-oldharmonymanseekswithnatureis
stillvisibleintheseherdercommunities,andthereis much
wecanlearnfromtheirwayoflife.Somuchofwhatseems
exoticturnsouttobedifferentwaysofrespondingtothe
rigoursofthesevastlandscapes.
Duringspecialoccasions,forinstance,familiesprepare
a wholeboiledsheep,carvingouta stripoftailfatfor
themosthonouredguest.Itslingeringgreaseis a kindof
benediction,providingadditionalprotectionfromthecold
andwind.TherenownedwarmthofMongolianhospitality
alsospringsfromthenomad’sawarenessthatonecannot
hopetosurvivethesteppesanddesertsalone.Showa
strangerkindness,thethinkinggoes,becauseyoucouldbe
theonewhoneedshelpinthefuture.“Havingonemore
friendmeanshavinganotherpathyoucantake,”saida
herderpithilyduringoneofourmealsofboiledsheep.
Afterall,if weatheris destiny,thenperhapsculture
is persistence,ourwayofturninglivedexperienceinto
stories,traditionsandpracticesthatilluminatedifferent
paths to survival—humanity’s very own fi ne fl eece.Bycapturingtherigoursof Mongolia’s
extremeenvironment,Jacquethopesto
helpaudiencesunderstandtheecosystems
that make cashmere possible
singapore tatler. october 2019 189