Is It Real Cashmere? What the Labels and the Fabric Tell You
Real cashmere starts with the composition tag: it should say 100% cashmere, or give the exact blend, and the knit should agree with it. Of the 75 cashmere pieces we have handled (34 in stock today), we have read the composition tag on 52: 46 say 100% cashmere and 6 give a blend, most often with wool (4), silk (1), merino wool (1).
Updated · built from the labels on our own pieces and rebuilt as pieces come and go.
What the label should say
The composition tag should read “100% cashmere”, or the exact blend (for example “70% cashmere, 30% silk”). That is what we go by, and it is how the piece is described on its product page: the material in the title is the material on the tag, or “faux” when the tag lists a synthetic.
On the 52 cashmere tags we have read, the percentage of the main fibre was 100% (46), 70% (1), 65% (1), 55% (1), 20% (1), 10% (2). The blends were mostly with wool (4), silk (1), merino wool (1).
Country on the label (35 labels with one): China (21), UK (6), Italy (2), Cambodia (2), Madagascar (1), Bangladesh (1). The country is one detail among several, not proof.
Labels we have handled most: Marks & Spencer (5), John Lewis (4), Repeat (3), Pure Collection (3), F&F (3), H&M (3), Begg & Co (2), Brora (2).
What the care labels say (35 labels with care instructions): dry flat (21), wash inside out (11), do not bleach (9), wash at 30° (9), hand wash (8), dry clean only (8). Every care label we have read, by material: how to wash vintage clothes, what the labels say.
What to check on the piece
- The composition tag. “100% cashmere” or the exact percentages. A blend such as 70% cashmere and 30% silk is real cashmere, but not 100%, and it should be described as a blend.
- The brand label and the care tag together. They should belong to the same brand and the same years. Knitwear sold in the US often carries an RN number on the care tag.
- The knit. An even, dense knit; very thin, see-through knitting at a cashmere price is a reason to look closer.
- Pilling. Small bobbles at the underarms and cuffs are normal for cashmere and are not a sign of a fake.
These are the checks from our guide to every material we sell: How we check every piece. No single detail proves it; a piece is real when the label, the tag and the material agree.
Labels from our own pieces
Our photos of our pieces, the same ones you see in the product galleries, so you can check what we checked.
Poetry
Composition tag: 100% cashmere · made in China · care: hand wash, do not tumble dry, do not bleach.
See this piece →
Cocoa Cashmere
Composition tag: 100% cashmere · care: hand wash 30°, dry flat, wash inside out.
See this piece →Absolut Cashmere
Composition tag: 100% cashmere · care: hand wash, do not tumble dry.
See this piece →
In stock now
- N.Peal custom womens 100% cashmere V-neck jumper metal chain e… · UK 10 · £135
- Begg&Co Scottish Luxury 100% Cashmere Reversible Scarf Pink Fr… · £121.5 · 100% cashmere
- Equipment Femme womens 100% Cashmere Grey Oversized Button V-N… · UK 12 · £121.5 · 100% cashmere
- Poetry Womens 100% cashmere grey taupe oversized jumper open b… · UK 14 · £112.5 · 100% cashmere
- Brora Scotland Womens 100% cashmere grey blue collared fitted… · UK 10 · £112.5
- Repeat Womens 100% Cashmere grey longline fitted button cardig… · UK 10 · £112.5 · 100% cashmere
- Brora Womens Scottish 100% cashmere black textured knit crew n… · UK 10 · £108 · 100% cashmere
- Marilyn Moore Womens 100% cashmere black scoop neck fitted jum… · UK 10 · £94.5
- Cocoa Cashmere Womens navy white star 100% cashmere crewneck j… · UK 10 · £76.5 · 100% cashmere
- Versus Versace’11 black cashmere wool velvet ribbed fitted min… · UK 10 · £67.5 · 100% silk
- Absolut 100% Cashmere Womens blush pink embroidered rainbow fi… · UK 6 · £67.5 · 100% cashmere
- Frame 100% Cashmere Square Neck Crop Top Taupe Brown UK 8-10 B… · UK 10 · £63 · 100% cashmere
All cashmere knitwear in stock →
Questions about cashmere
What does the label say on real cashmere?
It gives the composition as a percentage. Of the 52 cashmere pieces whose composition tag we have read, 46 say 100% cashmere and 6 give an exact blend (wool (4), silk (1), merino wool (1)). A tag that only says “cashmere feel” or “cashmere touch”, or gives no percentage at all, is not a composition.
Is a cashmere blend real cashmere?
Yes, when the tag gives the percentages: 70% cashmere and 30% silk is real cashmere, but it is not 100%, and we describe it as a blend. 6 of the 75 cashmere pieces we have handled are blends, most often with wool or silk.
Where was most of the cashmere you handled made?
Of the 35 cashmere labels with a country on them: China (21), UK (6), Italy (2), Cambodia (2), Madagascar (1). The country on its own proves nothing; it is one detail that has to agree with the label, the tag and the knit.
Which cashmere labels have you handled most?
75 pieces so far (34 in stock today), most often Marks & Spencer (5), John Lewis (4), Repeat (3), Pure Collection (3), F&F (3), H&M (3), Begg & Co (2), Brora (2).
What do cashmere care labels say?
On the 35 cashmere labels with care instructions we have read, the commonest are dry flat (21), wash inside out (11), do not bleach (9), wash at 30° (9), hand wash (8). What every care label we have read says, by material, is on our care-label page.