The golden fleece

Cashmere has always had a certain cachet, a luxury quality, an all-important sought-after factor.

Much of this “object of desire” status stems from its comparative rarity and the fact that the wool comes from far, far away.

Most of the world’s cashmere comes from the plains and grasslands of Inner Mongolia, where temperatures plummet to minus 30 degrees, forcing the cashmere goats to grow the soft downy under-fleece that is harvested (harmlessly) to be dyed, spun into yarn and then transformed into beautiful knitwear that keeps is cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

“They only grow that if the temperature is low enough,” says Nick Falkingham, co-founder of Pure Collection, a Yorkshire-based cashmere designer and retailer.

Launched in 2002, Pure is now the largest independent mail order and online cashmere retailer in the UK. It was founded by Nick and his business partner Adam Holdsworth, whose family business has long been associated with trading in cashmere. The company started with an order of 1,500 pieces and now sells around 300,000 cashmere pieces a year. It launched a catalogue in the US in 2006 and, at the end of 2011, entered the high street with shops in York and in Tunbridge Wells.

By focusing on fashion, colour, price and accessibility, Pure Collection is continuing to go from strength to strength, now employing 170 people across its headquarters in Harrogate and its distribution centre in nearby Knaresborough.

All the design takes place in Harrogate and there are a further 10 people employed in Inner Mongolia, overseeing the goat-to-garment production and working with the manufacturers there. Adam frequently visits to make sure that production is of the highest quality.

Pure has been pioneering a programme that ensures that all of its cashmere is sustainable. Until recent years, the goats roamed the grasslands of Mongolia herded by nomads, but the goat population grew to such an extent that it began to turn the prairie into desert. Now the goats are farmed and fed, so they don’t eat away the landscape.

Then there are the clothes themselves – beautiful cashmere staples, from short-sleeve tees and cardigans to sleek and fitted knit tunic dresses, in lustrous, vibrant shades ranging from seasonal brights to neutrals and the classics.

They sit alongside a capsule collection of formal, working and casual pieces in wools, jerseys, leathers, cottons and silks. The autumn/winter collection brings understated luxury, with tonal neutrals and camel, through soft greys and pinks to brights of cyclamen and cherry. Tailoring is soft yet strong, and this season takes on a more minimalist and modern boyfriend silhouette.

“We call it garcon/garconette,” says Rachel Senior, Pure’s creative director. “It’s a move to a more sartorial, pared-down feel for the feminine silhouette – a luxurious simplicity that’s just right for Pure.”

Cashmere, as ever, remains at the heart – and it’s all thanks to those hardy goats of Inner Mongolia.

Twitter: @yorkshirefashQ

Pure Collection is at Stonegate, York, and on www.purecollection.com.