What is mohair?
Mohair is sheared wool from the Angora goat, which is processed into a resilient and durable fabric or yarn, notable for being luster and sheen. With such qualities, mohair is often used in fiber blends to a textile.
Mohair is approximately 25-45 microns in diameter. Depending on the age of the Angora goat, mohair fibers increase in diameter. Thinner fibers are usually used for clothing, like sweaters, and scarves, while thicker fibers are used for more exposed fabrics like carpets, upholstery, drapery fabric, and outerwear.
Mohair is considered to be a luxury fiber like cashmere, silk, and angora, because of the high involvement in the production of the material.
Where does mohair come from?
Mohair is considered to be one of the oldest textile fibers still being used today. It was known in England in the 8th century. The Angora goat is thought to have lived in the mountains of Tibet and was introduced in the Turkish province Ankara around the sixteenth century. The province where the name “Angora” came from.
Due to a growing demand for mohair in the eighteenth century, Angora goats were introduced to South Africa, America, Australia, and New Zealand. Today the biggest distributor of mohair is South Africa, Argentina, Turkey, and the United States, and to a smaller extent Australia and New Zealand.
How is mohair made?
Most mohair farmers shear their Angora goats twice a year, spring and fall, where few, like Turkey, only shear them once a year, in December. After the wool has been sheared, it is gathered and carefully transported into a cleaning station. The next process is to get rid of any dirt, debris, and grease, preparing the wool to either be sold, spun, or weaved into fabric or yarn.
What makes mohair so special?
Mohair is the kind of material that adds luxury and strength to any item.
It has amazing properties like:
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High durability
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Natural elasticity - Ability to stretch up to 30% over its length
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Blending remarkably with dye.
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Magnificent insulating - resulting in feeling warm during winter
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Moisture-wicking - remains cool during summer
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Flame-resistant*
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Crease-resistant
*It is almost non-flammable. If placed near naked flame mohair will shrivel into something looking like ash, but will immediately stop burning when taken away again.
3 Commonly asked questions:
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Why is mohair so expensive?
With the properties described above, you might start to understand why mohair is so expensive. But the determining price is mostly based on the high involvement in the process of its production, which is also one of the reasons it is considered a luxury.
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How much does mohair cost?
According to a USDA statistic made in 2018, a pound of raw mohair was listed up to $7.88. By adding value to it, through washing and preparing the fibers for spinners, it could generate up to $40 a pound. Finally producing yarn with the fiber could generate up to $150 a pound.
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Is mohair better wool?
If you were to compare mohair with ‘regular’ wool, mohair is lighter, softer, warmer, and harder to obtain than ‘regular’ wool. But given the fact that mohair is often blended with other types of fabric, it is hard to make a clear comparison. But one thing is sure, by adding mohair to a fiber blend, the fabric benefits from its more significant smoothness and lustrous appearance. Not only that does it also make the fabric softener and also preserves the other benefits of wool.
Why do designers not make 100% Mohair suits frequently?
Since mohair is commonly used as a blend with other fibers like cotton or polyester, it's often overlooked as a primary fabric. This is because mohair can't be blended to the same degree that other fibers can, which makes it cost-prohibitive for many companies to use as a prime material source. Mohair itself is widely used in the production of luxury suits and coats due to its ability to keep warmth inside while remaining breathable.
Are mohair suits good?
While mohair itself is not used as frequently by designers as it once was, mohair suits are still prized for their ability to keep the wearer comfortable. The quality of a mohair suit is also increased when blended with other suit fabrics since the blend can create different textures and designs that would be impossible with only one fiber type.
Mohair suits have a history of being used in tuxedos for famous films - such as James Bond's variety of Mohair smoking jackets.
In this example, you can see a Kiton - smoking jacket made from 14% Mohair. This "CIPA" Model is a famous model and is known around the world - It's not a Brioni like Daniel Craig wore - but the quality is just as high.
We also have suit from Cesare Attoloni:
Are mohair suits expensive and why?
If you manage to find a 100% Mohair suit you will be paying a lot of money for it. It's a rare material and costs a lot of money. However, because it is often blended with other fabrics, the cost of a Mohair smoking jacket or blazer is about the same as a cashmere one.
The example above is around $2300 - which is a normal price for a Kiton suit blazer. It's not expensive for what you get. There are markets where it can be bought above this price - but if you find the same product used it will drop at least three times.
Another reason is the fact that the process is more complicated and it is hence classed as a luxury fiber, like cashmere or Angora, mohair is more costly than ordinary sheep's wool.
Here are some of our other products with mohair:
SARTORIO NAPOLI BLUE VIRGIN WOOL MOHAIR EA BLAZER
(63% Virgin Wool 34% Mohair 3% Ea)
Is mohair still in style?
Due to the ethical concerns associated with mohair wool, several of the world's major fashion businesses have made a promise to stop selling apparel produced from it. However, it is still popular, as it has similar insulating qualities as other wools while remaining cool in the summer; however, angora is considered more elegant than other wools.
Due to the James Bond films and the fine quality of Mohair - Smoking suits and other suits made from partial Mohair are still very much in fashion.
All of our suits are unworn, and we have some of the best prices available online - Come and join IsuiT - Italian Luxury today.
