Oct 10, 2017
In episode 83, Kestrel welcomes Matt Scanlan, the CEO and cofounder of Naadam, to the show. Naadam is a fashion label that responsibly sources and produces luxury knitwear while preserving nomadic lifestyles in Mongolia.
"It's all about an equitable agreement where they're [nomadic herders] getting something and we're getting something; we get better material, they get a level of economic sustainability that didn't exist before."
In this chat, Matt shares the wild story of how he and his cofounder ended up finding themselves literally in the world of cashmere, through the friendships they made with nomadic herders in Mongolia. He also walks us through why the traditional cashmere industry had been rigged in the past.
A couple of notes from the chat:
- Naadam doesn't have any contracts with the nomadic herders they work with; instead out in the countryside, as Matt explains, "what matters is the respect, the honor, the trust, the loyalty - that's how you build the relationships"
- Hand combing is a humane and traditional process; it is done on the under belly and under the chin of the goat, and has been done for thousands of years
- Shearing uses electric clippers and can tear up the goats' skin and can be very painful
- It takes the fiber from about 4 goats over the course of 1 year to make 1 sweater.
How To Care For Your Cashmere
- Hand wash and lay flat to dry
(Matt suggests the Laundress products because they are cleaner and work well) - Pilling of cashmere in normal; for de-pilling, you can use a razor to cut them off
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