Mohair Vs Cashmere: A Detailed Comparison

When shopping for luxurious wool clothing, you’ll find that there is a huge variety to choose from - with big differences in the price tags! Mohair and cashmere are two different types of noble fibre, both are popular choices when you are in the market for natural wool accessories. But what is the difference, and which is better? 

Mohair and cashmere are both luxurious natural wool fibres derived from goats. Mohair originates from the Angora goat, known for its long curly, lustrous coat. Mohair is prized for its durability, strength, and natural water repellency. Mohair fabrics are often used in formal wear, blankets, and especially socks, due to their resilience and ability to maintain their shape.  

Cashmere, on the other hand, comes from the soft fine undercoat of the Cashmere goat, found primarily in the Himalayan region. Cashmere is renowned for its exceptional softness, lightweight nature, and excellent insulation properties. It is often used in high-end knitwear, scarves, and accessories. (It’s a favourite of fashion houses Hermes and Chanel).  While both mohair and cashmere offer unique qualities, cashmere is generally considered more luxurious and delicate due to its finer fibre and softer feel. This is largely due to the finer diameter of the wool fibre.

But as with all things related to wool, buying wool products comes down to personal preference. Let’s take a closer look at mohair vs cashmere so you find your perfect fit. 

What Is Cashmere?

Cashmere is a well-regarded, exquisite textile that is combed from the plush undercoat of Kashmir goats. The superior, soft fibre has enthralled many for centuries, ranking it as a luxury fibre worldwide. The cashmere wool production includes many manual processes and care, ensuring its premium quality: 

• Superior Softness: Cashmere wool is a very fine fibre (12- 18 microns) and is hailed as one of the softest fibres in the world. This exquisite textile provides a luxurious touch that's second to none.
• Exceptional Warmth: Known as a warm fibre, cashmere has an incredible insulating property trapping air between the very fine fibres. It keeps you cosy, even in brutal cold weather conditions.
• Delicate Lustre: Besides its softness and warmth, cashmere also has a gentle shine. This attribute adds a refined elegance to any cashmere piece.

The process of obtaining cashmere begins in the spring when the goats naturally shed their winter coats. The fine undercoat, which provides warmth in harsh conditions, is carefully combed out by hand using a special tool. This delicate process ensures that the softest fibres are collected, avoiding harm to the animals and ensuring that your cashmere products are sustainably and ethically sourced. 

The collected cashmere fibres are then cleaned to remove impurities and sorted by quality. The finest fibres are spun into yarn, which can be further woven or knitted into various fabrics.

What Is Mohair? 

Known as ‘the diamond fibre’, Mohair wool holds the reputation of an exquisite textile in the fibre world, and for valid reasons. Mohair is goat’s wool shorn from Angora Goat which grow it in uniform locks and ringlets. Mohair is considered a luxury fibre due to its, lack of abundance, premium quality and unique characteristics. Produced mainly in South Africa, Spain and Australia, the process requires meticulous attention, promoting the worth of the fibre mohair.

The production is as enthralling as the soft fibre itself. The goats are sheared twice a year, with each shearing yielding about four to five kilograms of mohair. The finer the fibre, the higher its value, warranting a detailed comparison to other fibres.

Mohair is renowned in the fibre world for its exquisitely lively lustre. Mohair contains virtually no lanolin so it relies on the fibre’s structure for its ability to repel water. The fibre is smoother than other hair, contains air pockets and takes a dye incredibly well, holding and reflecting colours beautifully. The light-refractive and reflective qualities of mohair set it truly apart from all other natural wools. Added to this, the longer fibres, contribute to the strength of the yarn and shine of the wool.

Unlike the common perception of wool, mohair isn't coarse but has excellent insulation properties, making it a desirable choice for cold weather.

Its resistance to creasing and pilling, along with its vibrancy when dyed, elevates mohair as a premium quality, luxury fibre in detailed comparisons against other types of wool. Being a hardwearing fibre it makes for a strong yarn and is well suited for knitting into hosiery.

Mohair vs Cashmere: A Detailed Comparison

In the world of luxury fibres, mohair and cashmere hold a prominent place. Both are known for their softness, warmth, and exquisite texture. However, when it comes to a detailed comparison between mohair and cashmere, some key differences set them apart.

Comparing Softness: Mohair vs Cashmere

We begin our detailed comparison of mohair and cashmere with one of the most notable aspects - softness. Mohair, coming from the Angora goat, is prized for its shine and resilience. However, its feel might be perceived as somewhat coarser in comparison to cashmere.

Cashmere, on the other hand, is known for its softness and warmth, a result of cashmere goats growing such premium quality fibres to survive in extreme cold weather conditions.

In softness, cashmere undoubtedly has the upper hand owing to its fine structure, but both these luxury fibres possess their distinct exquisite features, making them highly valued in the textile industry.

Insulation Properties: Mohair vs Cashmere

The feature that sets mohair and cashmere apart from other textiles is their insulation properties. Mohair, being derived from the Angora goat, has a natural ability to encapsulate air, providing remarkable insulation. Being a coarse fibre, it successfully traps air and keeps you warm without the weight.

Cashmere, on the other hand, derived from the undercoat of cashmere goats, is known for its superior insulation. It is less dense than mohair and has finer fibres that can create a fine-spun yarn, locking in warmth effectively. It's a highly revered choice for chilly climes.

Warmth and Comfort: Mohair vs Cashmere

Cashmere offers unmatched softness, while mohair’s structure retains warmth even when wet. Despite being lighter, cashmere fibres trap air efficiently, ensuring exceptional insulation. However, mohair fibres contain tiny air pockets inside the actual fibre and these contribute to better insulation when the fibre is wet. So a pair of mohair hiking socks can authentically claim to be warmer even when wet. 

While mohair is acclaimed for its softness, it tends to feel heavier and coarser when compared to cashmere. This detail discerns the level of comfort provided by both fibres. Although mohair imparts a genuine sense of warmth, the comfort proffered by cashmere is unparalleled due to its lightweight nature. Mohair is a smoother fibre, making it ideal for use in helping to avoid blisters in hiking socks. 

Luxuriousness and Shine: Mohair vs Cashmere

Cashmere and mohair are both admired for their opulence and high shine, yet they differ in their distinct properties. 

Cashmere, with its shorter staple (fibre) length, is noted for its finesse. Its softness owes to the fibre diameter and the meticulous craftsmanship in spinning it into a fine yarn and knitting or weaving it into a textile. Cashmere has more microscopic scales than mohair which has far fewer and is very smooth, and although cashmere takes a dye well, it doesn’t have the lustre of the diamond fibre.

Mohair, on the other hand, is renowned for its two most distinctive features –  its sheen and lustre, and the strength of the yarn derived from the longer fibre. It has woven into its fibres light-reflecting properties akin to silk, making it extraordinarily radiant and lustrous. However, even though mohair is considered a luxury fibre, it lacks the superfine feel offered by cashmere. The coarser fibre increases the bulk in the yarns (although not its weight), making it suitable for more decorative uses like lightweight and warm mohair throws and blended yarns, but also making for extremely practical uses like knitting into blister-free mohair hiking socks.

The Production Process 

The process of producing Cashmere wool begins with the combing of the Cashmere goat during its moulting season. This is a labour-intensive process as each goat is cared for land combed individually by hand, and each will only provide a small amount of the luxury fibre during the annual Spring combing, greatly adding to Cashmere's exclusivity and price.

In the next stage, the collected cashmere wool undergoes a refining process. This involves separating the precious fine, soft fibres from the more coarse, outer protective guard hairs.

Mohair is an exquisite textile derived from the Angora goat breed. Instead of the annual combing that Cashmere goats enjoy, the Angora goat goes through a shearing process twice annually, once in late winter spring and another come summer, consequently producing mohair wool. Interestingly, Angora goats only have a single-layer coat, not the guard hair and undercoat of fine downy hair that Cashmere goats wear.

The mohair is collected from the goats similar to sheep fleece, and their health is checked at the same time. After collection, the mohair fibres are graded and sorted according to the fibres diameter and other qualities, and thoroughly cleaned before the combing process to align the wool in preparation for spinning.

Mohair vs Cashmere: A Comparison Table

Final Thoughts on Mohair vs Cashmere

The choice between mohair and cashmere ultimately boils down to personal preference. Both mohair and cashmere offer unique properties that make them stand out in the world of exquisite noble fibre textiles.

Discover the finest mohair throws, cashmere scarves, and hiking socks at The Wool Company. Whether you prefer the silky sheen of mohair or the supreme softness of cashmere, explore our luxury wool collection today, designed to cherish and delight!

FAQs: Mohair vs Cashmere

Q: Which is softer, mohair or cashmere?

A: Cashmere is softer and finer than mohair due to its smaller micron diameter (12-18 microns vs. 25-45 microns). However, mohair is silkier, with a more lustrous sheen and durability.

Q: Is mohair warmer than cashmere?

A: Both fibres are highly insulating, but cashmere retains heat better due to its fine, dense structure. Mohair’s air pockets make it exceptional for wet-weather warmth, making it ideal for socks and outerwear.

Q: Does mohair pill like cashmere?

A: No, mohair is naturally resistant to pilling due to its smooth fibre surface. Cashmere is more prone to pilling over time due to its fine, delicate fibres.

Q: Is mohair or cashmere more expensive?

A: Cashmere is generally more expensive per gram due to its rarity and labour-intensive production. Mohair, while still a luxury fibre, is more abundant and slightly more affordable.

🔗 Learn how to care for these fine fibres in our Cashmere & Mohair Care Guide.

Which is your favourite - mohair or cashmere? Let us know in the comments!