Almost: Max Studio’s Cashmere & Soybean Sweater
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 09.13.05
One of TreeHugger’s avid readers, Victoria E., sent us to Max Studio to check out a sweater that they have made from blending cashmere and soybean yarns. We like the details of it and really, really like that it’s 85% soybean fiber. Even though the goats used to make this sweater aren’t necessarily killed for their fur, we’re still going to put it in the “almost” category because 60% of the world’s cashmere does get shipped from China and several other countries. Here’s a few quick facts on cashmere: 1.) It takes each goat four years to produce enough cashmere for one sweater. 2.) In order to collect the cashmere, each goat is combed by hand every spring. 3.) The fleece is then collected and sorted by hand. Apparently they’ve recently started breeding stock in the U.S., but we’re not sure where the cashmere comes from to make these particular sweaters. Nevertheless, it is quite reasonable for being partially cashmere at $98. ::Max Studio
Yay - I helped again :) you made a very good point about the cashmere. I do not know enough about the rest of the company's policies to know where they get it from.
I have a full list of all the eco-fiber items they have this season (11 in all) on my blog ( http://victoria-e.com/wordpress/?p=30 )
Not sure what is so great about soybean fiber. I guess there must be a lot of waste soybean stalks from all the soy we grow in this country, but even though soybeans are a good alternative to meat, the damage that growing them does to the land (at least according to Wendell Barry) might mean that they are not such a great substitute for other natural fibers (like bamboo). I'm all for putting ag waste to good use, but not for perfunctory soy worship.
"Even though the goats used to make this sweater aren’t necessarily killed for their fur"
Huh? Goats have fur? Fur = wool?
Yr kidding, right? Maaaaaaaaaa!!