TEXT C If you have ever dreamed
of slipping into the comforting softness of a cashmere sweater you should follow
the example of the habitual wearers and make sure that it has been knitted in
the Scottish Borders—nothing else will do for them as it is pure luxury. But
what makes Scottish Borders Cashmere so special To begin with the Border
knitters insist on using only the best cashmere painstakingly produced in one of
the most barren parts of China. The cashmere is hand combed from the under
fleece of the Mongolian goat and one of them produces in a year only enough yam
to make a scarf. It takes three goats to produce one simple sweater!
This rare natural fiber has then to be transported to Britain for
processing. A highly skilled system, invented by Joseph Dawson in the 1880’s,
removes every impurity and coarse grade hair so that only the softest down is
left. After spinning the Border knitters use their traditional expertise to
ensure that this wonderful softness is kept by careful" milling"—their term for
washing the garment after knitting-in pure soft Scottish water.
Of course all this care and attention makes cashmere very expensive but
retailers have noticed that whenever there is a rise in the price of cashmere,
an inevitably regular occurrence with a scarce, hard-to-produce commodity,
customers rarely trade down even to finest lambs wool. They may attempt to
ration themselves to one sweater less this season but, for them, it really is a
matter of nothing but the best. But even the most traditional of
garments are subject to fashion. The cashmere manufacturers of the Borders
realized that, if they were to keep their grand old labels hot and desirable,
they had to out Lauren Ralph and chivvy at Chanel’s heels: "The strength of
Borders cashmere", says Helen Bottle, the textile designer who manages The
Studio," is its well known quality and slams. But in today’s market, you need
other factors. Better, more fashionable, more exciting design is one. We have
gone beyond the traditional Scottish jumper market and into the field of
well-designed, fashioned knitted clothing. " For cashmere
addicts, life has never been more dangerous. Where once they could only satisfy
their craving by having their little jumper in every color in both round neck
and polo, now there is an embarrassment of choice. What is the best title of the passage
A．Scottish Border Cashmere—Pure Luxury B．The Procedure of Making Cashmere Sweater C．The Reason for the Expensive Cashmere D．Scottish Borders Cashmere—The Fashion