Camel
The perfect ally for winter
Shine, softness and lightness are the characteristics of camel wool, a very fine fibre used in the textile and clothing industry. The camel, bred in Central and South-East Asia especially in Mongolia, China and the Gobi desert, is composed of two mantles: the superficial layer composed by the roughest hairs, and the duvet, that has a fine and soft hair from which you get the luxurious raw material.
Thanks to their long and shiny coat they give us a high-quality natural fibre: the most common colour is golden with shades ranging from red to light brown while the very rare and highly prized is the white colour, called “albino”. The fibre is used naturally without being subjected to dyeing processes. Among its main qualities, the fibre has remarkable thermostatic properties, which allow it to isolate the camel from the cold of the mountain and protect it from the heat of the desert. The camel fabric is the perfect ally for winter, as it can absorb the warm air and moisture of the body, favouring physical well-being.
Millennia of history
The camel has accompanied man for millennia: it appeared in North America about 45 million years ago and then migrated to Europe and Asia where for centuries it has been a means of transport along the trade routes between East and West.
In the seventeenth century, the fur of the camel began to be processed for the creation of fine fabrics but only in the XIXth century reached its maximum popularity thanks to the Polo Horse. In England, in fact, the camel wool jackets worn by the players will then become a symbol of elegance to the point of being worn even outside the fields. Over the years camel wool has seen many practical uses but its preciousness finds its maximum expression in the creation of high-quality fabrics.
Camel processing: from fibre to fine fabric
During the winter the Bactrian camel is covered with a long and thick mantle. The quantity and quality of the hair depends on the habitat: the camels living in warm and more temperate zones tend to have coarser hair than those living in cold environments, which instead have a finer and thicker hair
Only 700 grams of fibre are obtained for each camel per year: this makes it precious and extremely expensive.
The harvest takes place in spring, when the camel loses its mantle naturally. Then the animal is brushed: the most valuable hairs are separated from the coarser ones, which usually wrap the surface layer.
Once the harvest is finished, the fibre is washed and subjected to a process called “de-giarratura”, which allows you to remove less valuable plant substances and hair. The fibre is ready to be spun and woven: the fabric obtained is soft, warm and precious.
Raw material
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