Brrrrr there’s definitely a new found chill in the air and that Summer is all but a long forgotten memory. But with this change in the weather let us embrace our Winter wardrobe brothers and layer up !
Now, every well dress man should possess a good quality cashmere knit, it’s one of those luxury investment pieces that you should try and stretch your budget as far as your wallet will let you. Basically the Golden rule with Cashmere is, you look after it and it’ll look after you for many years to come.
One such great Cashmere brand is HOMESPUN Cashmere which launched this season and hails from Suffolk via Mongolia, kinda. Homespun, fundamentally launched to provide essential cashmere shapes in the right colours that feel delicious to wear time after time. We caught up with founder Sam Denny-Hodson recently, we filled us in on the background of the brand.
“What do we actually wear? How many dresses/suits are hanging in your wardrobe that get an outing once a year…..on a daily basis how often do you get up and have time to think through an outfit?
Many of us wear a version of the same ‘uniform’ most days. Living in Suffolk by the beach, I wear jeans at least 5 days out of 7 so half the decision is already made. In Summer I wear T shirts and in winter a jumper over a T shirt.
As this has become the way I face the world, I wanted every piece to be the ultimate…the best quality and be the most comfortable it can be… for jumpers, this means cashmere.
It became an obsession to find a good quality garment that really fitted. It should fit neatly under the arms so that it can be worn under a jacket with ease while cuffs and waistband were long enough not to look mean.
Having worked with leading knitwear companies during 20 years of PR, I had some inkling of where to start looking for a factory to make my dream cashmere collection.
I knew it had to be in Mongolia and I knew I was going to be really fussy about the quality. It’s imperative that a cashmere jumper keeps its’ shape when washed and continues to look good for a long time.
Having found a family run factory, I spent 6 months washing sample jumpers to make sure they didn’t pill and retained their shape.
Great cashmere, like great wine, will never be cheap but you should get good value for money as they should become favourite pieces that just get softer and better with wear.”
SAM’S TOP TIPS FOR CARING FOR OUR CASHMERE:
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– THE BEST QUALITY CASHMERE SHOULD BE WASHED AT 30 DEGREES IN A MACHINE AS HAND WASHING (& PARTICULARLY WRINGING OUT) CAN CAUSE GARMENTS TO BECOME MISSHAPEN.
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– WASH IN A CALICO BAG (HOMESPUN GARMENTS ARE ALL SOLD WITH A BAG) SO THAT THE GARMENT DOESN’T GET PULLED OUT OF SHAPE
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– THE LONGER THE GOAT HAIR THE LESS LIKELY TO SNAP AND PILL (BOBBLE) BUT ALL CASHMERE CAN BOBBLE A LITTLE BIT…DON’T BUY EXPENSIVE CASHMERE COMBS…USE A DISPOSABLE RAZOR TO GENTLY SHAVE OFF ANY BOBBLES
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– NEVER HANG WET CASHMERE…ALWAYS DRY FLAT ON A CLEAN TOWEL
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– IF YOU CHOOSE TO STORE YOUR CASHMERE IN PLASTIC ZIP LLC BAGS (I DON’T BOTHER) MAKE SURE IT’S BONE DRY AS ANY MOISTURE CAN CAUSE THE NATURAL HAIR TO SMELL!
