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This paper explores the emerging articulations between microfinance and livestock production cycles among Mongolian pastoralists in contexts plagued by disaster and commodity market fluctuations. Ethnographic investigations of household production and vulnerability in two rural districts of eastern and western Mongolia demonstrates that both poor and wealthy households have become ensnared in a cashmere-debt cycle but that the bifurcation of livestock asset trajectories between large and small herds has also fostered diverse financial and herd management strategies that further exacerbate existing inequalities.

This study has focussed on three main areas. First, an evaluation of the physical attributes of cashmere tops available to commercial spinners; second, the influence of processing variables on the efficiency of producing cashmere tops from raw Australian cashmere; and third, the influence of design of cashmere ultrafine wool blends on the fibre curvature of tops. Testing the physical attributes of cashmere tops from traditional and new sources of supply, was followed by statistical analyses based on factors of origin, processor and other determinants. The analyses demonstrated important processor effects and also that cashmere from different origins shows commercially important variations in fibre attributes. It was possible to efficiently produce Australian cashmere tops with Hauteur, tenacity, extension, softness and residual guard hairs quality attributes equivalent to those observed in the best cashmere tops. The blending of cashmere with wool resulted in a reduction of the mean fibre curvature of the blend compared with the unblended wool. The present work demonstrated that the fibre curvature properties of blended low crimp ultrafine wool tops were closer to the properties of pure cashmere tops than were tops made from blended standard high crimp ultrafine wool. The attributes of textiles made from the relatively rare Australian low curvature cashmere could enhance the marketability of both Australian cashmere and low curvature wool.

The purpose of this paper is to understand and compare Generation Y’s knowledge and perceptions of cashmere as a luxurious fibre.

Dual qualitative-quantitative approach, comprising interviews with cashmere farmers and suppliers plus a structured questionnaire completed by 334 young Italians and Americans. Data were analysed statistically for comparison and interpretation.

Interviews confirmed the literature and provided insights why cashmere is “branded” as luxurious; e.g. comes from combing the undercoat of cashmere goats thus it is rare, expensive, very warm, light, and soft. Quantitative analysis showed: the majority (+85 per cent) of the young Italians and Americans perceive cashmere fibre as luxurious and expensive, although statistically Americans participants perceive it as more luxurious and more expensive. For example, 75 per cent Italian, 85 per cent Americans think it is expensive, (µ=2.914/4 and µ=3.156/4, respectively). Americans do not perceive it as being as rare as the Italian group. Italians were more able to answer the question about richness of the fibre. Lastly and surprisingly both groups knew very little about the origin: 40 per cent of both groups thought it comes from sheep whereas 20 per cent from Alpaca.

While neither sample knew the source, they both mentioned they would like to know more about the origin, attributes, etc., opening the door to marketing experts.

This study complements and enhances the relatively limited body of knowledge in the academic and professional literature and provides useful information for producers, suppliers, retailers, and especially marketers of cashmere.

The purpose of this paper is to validate that young American experiencers perceive cashmere as the most luxurious animal fiber, to investigate if because expensive it is perceived as more luxurious (Veblen theory), to learn how they know about its intrinsic values, lastly to explore if articulating the story behind luxury goods can enhance shopping experience, thus building a sustainable competitive advantage for retailers.

This research was conducted using a survey to gather quantitative data followed by focus group. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to a group of almost 200 young American experiencers.

The results show that the subjects had a significant lack of knowledge about the provenance of cashmere (the fibre) and its intrinsic attributes. Once the subjects were told about the characteristics, the provenance and the whole process of the supply chain starting with the farmers combing the goats to the delivery of the end goods, it seems obvious that articulating the story behind luxury goods would enhance the shopping experience and provide a sustainable competitive advantage for retailers.

This survey was conducted on a sample of 196 respondents, from one specific geographic area. It would benefit from being extended to a wider scope of demographic and geographic including Europe and Asia.

This study supports that time has come for retailers to shift from marketing visual images to the story telling.

As one natural fiber, yak cashmere has been used more and more widely on textile processing due to its excellent warmth retention property. Yarn spinning is the first and the most important step of textile processing. Yarn spinning is closely related to the fiber properties. That is, for giving the optimization spinning process of one new fiber, the properties of the new fiber should be studied firstly. Meanwhile, during the studying of the properties of the new fiber, comparative analysis method was usually used. That is, the property of the new fiber was common comparatively analyzed with other fibers. During the comparative analysis, the spinning process can be optimized. Therefore, in the paper, the properties of the yak cashmere were studied in detail and comparatively analyzed.

The brown yak cashmere, cyan yak cashmere, white cashmere fiber, purple cashmere fiber, cyan cashmere fiber, camel hair fiber and mohair fiber, were chosen as the samples. The fiber length, fineness, strength, curls, moisture regain, mass specific resistance, surface morphology, infrared spectrum, melting behavior, thermal weight loss, friction, x-ray, were tested and comparatively analyzed.

It is shown that the compositions of yak cashmere and cashmere are similar, and makes the physical properties of yak cashmere and cashmere fiber similar. Comparing with the mohair, camel hair and cashmere fiber, the average length of yak cashmere is smaller and the dispersion of length distribution is larger, and the dispersion of yak cashmere strength is larger, which makes the yarn spinning of yak cashmere difficult, especially the high count pure yarn. However, comparing with the mohair, camel hair and cashmere fiber, the friction coefficient and friction effect of yak cashmere is larger, and yak cashmere fiber has relatively less curls and larger crimp rate and crimp recovery rate, and can improve the fiber spinnability.

In the paper, taking the brown yak cashmere, cyan yak cashmere, white cashmere fiber, purple cashmere fiber, cyan cashmere fiber, camel hair fiber, mohair fibers as the samples, the properties of the yak cashmere were studied in detail. The fiber length, fineness, strength, curls, moisture regain, mass specific resistance, surface morphology, infrared spectrum, melting behavior, thermal weight loss, friction, x-ray, were tested and comparatively analyzed. The studies can establish foundation for the optimization of the yak cashmere spinning process, and also can provide information for the end uses of the fiber.

The purpose of this paper is to use convolutional neural networks in order to solve the problem of the difficulty in the classification of cashmere and wool. To do the research, it proposes a low-dimensional strategy of using part-level features to enhance object-level features. The study aims to use computer version method to find out the most effective and robust method to manage the difficult task of cashmere and wool identification.

The authors try to get a coarse classification result and the initial weights of the model in the first step. The authors use the results of the first step and a Fast-RCNN method to extract part-level features in step 2. Finally, the authors mix the part-level features to enhance object-level features and classify the cashmere and wool images.

The paper finds that not only the texture is the key element of the cashmere and wool identification but also the image colors.

Most importantly, the paper finds that the part-level features can enhance object-level features in the fiber identification task. However, it does not work in contrast, and the strategy can be used in the similar fibers identifications.

The purpose of this paper is to provoke further research and analysis into what it takes to successfully start and grow a new global venture, which sources a product in China, and resells it in Europe and the USA.

This paper explores the early stages of the establishment of a new venture, and a new brand. The venture – Zelective, was founded by two MBA students working on an applied research project that was then turned into a company located in the Principality of Monaco. Importing their cashmere clothing from Inner Mongolia, China, this small firm has enjoyed significant success by designing a line of clothing that is colorful, sexy, and distinctive, while also executing a sales and marketing strategy that has increased their brands awareness, and consequently, their sales to some top tier retailers in Europe.

The next challenge for the firm is to expand their efforts, while maintaining the provocative edge.

This case provides insight into the challenges of starting up a new venture which sources product from China. Students have a series of questions which are designed at having them research the opportunities for Zelective moving forward, helping them determine the firms growth strategy. This case can be used in a wide range of context, from marketing, sales, and brand management, to strategy and logistics.

The purpose of this paper is to understand how supply chain actors in an Italian cashmere supply chain reacted to dependence and power use during the Covid-19 crisis and how this affected their perceptions of justice.

The research took a case study approach exploring issues of dependence, power and justice in a multi-tier luxury cashmere supply chain.

The authors found two types of dependence: Craftmanship-induced buyer dependence and Market-position-induced supplier dependence. The authors also identified four key archetypes emerging from the dynamics of dependence, power and justice during Covid-19. In the repressive archetype, buying firms perceive their suppliers as dependent and use mediated power through coercive tactics, leading the suppliers to perceive interactional, procedural and distributive injustice and use reciprocal coercive tactics against the buying firms in the form of coopetition. In the restrictive archetype, buying firms that are aware of their dependence on their suppliers use mediated power through contracts, with suppliers perceiving distributive injustice and developing ways to circumvent the brands. In the relational archetype, the awareness of craftmanship-induced buyer dependence leads buying firms to use non-mediated power through collaboration, but suppliers still do not perceive distributive justice, as there is no business security or future orders. In the resilient archetype, buying firms are aware of their own craftmanship-induced dependence and combine mediated and non-mediated power by giving the suppliers sustainable orders, which leads suppliers to perceive each justice type positively.

This paper shows how the actors in a specific supply chain react to and cope with one of the worst health crises in living memory, thereby providing advice for supply chain management in future crises.

This paper aims to reviewsa case study on Monaco based company Zelective and its clothing brand The Cashmere Collection.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer, who adds their own, impartial, comments.

A major component of the MBA degree is the practical application of a new business idea. These projects, of which there are thousands every year, aim to teach students to put their theoretical knowledge into practice. They give students the chance to deal with the unpredictable in a real business setting, as well as the opportunity to show that they have learned to strategize effectively. Often these projects result in a valuable learning curve that gives the graduate some real experience to take into the job market. But now and again a student hits gold.

This paper offers a useful case study for the MBA classroom, giving students a strategy for success in the projects but also posing questions on how they would take a new company like Zelective forward.

This paper provides insight into a successful start up that imports from China to sell to the West. Seeks to engage students with the challenges the company now faces.

The present study details attempts made to extract purified natural dye from the heartwood of Kigelia pinnata to dye cashmere fabrics. From the different extracted compounds, lapachol is identified as a viable dye source and the compound is characterized by using analytical and spectral (UV- Vis, IR, ¹H NMR) data. The isolated lapachol is used to dye cashmere fabric alone and also with different mordants, such as aluminium sulphate, stannous chloride and ferrous sulphate. The dye produces bright reddish brown colours on fabric with reproducibility. The addition of different mordants during dyeing imparts very good fastness properties on the cashmere fabric.