Loro Piana has been searching for the highest quality fibers for more than six generations
Cashmere is one of the most precious natural fibers in the world , both because of its scarcity and because of its peculiarities: it is soft to the touch, light and warm.
This type of wool – which we can safely call cashmere or cashmere although the most puritans look at us strangely– it is soft to the touch, light and very warm.
You may already know all this, but Do you know the origin of cashmere? If the first word that comes to mind is sheep, mistake.
Cashmere originates from the Kashmir goat, an animal that lives in the high mountains of the Himalayas, where they graze freely, cared for by nomadic herders, without caring too much that temperatures do not exceed zero degrees.
A portrait of enduring harmonies, intense harshness and sublime softness.
THE ORIGIN OF A SECRET
The issue is on the table: from 2020, companies like H&M, Asos and Kiabi will give up cashmere. This wool, finer, softer and lighter than sheep's, grows under the fur on the belly of some goats and is up to three times more insulating.
He has been put in the spotlight by fast fashion, which often leads to cruelty to animals, violently stripped of their coats in the coldest months, and in other environmental and social disasters caused by mass farming at ever lower prices.
The firm Loro Piana stands out: He has teamed up with environmentalist and film director Luc Jacquet to show the world that his methods are light years ahead.
Thus, the Italian brand has just presented Cashmere - The Origin of a Secret, the first documentary in a trilogy directed by Luc Jacquet, Oscar winner for the emotional film The Emperor's Journey (2005).
In these three documentaries, the director explores the origin of the most iconic raw fibers for Loro Piana: Kashmir, Vicuna and The Gift of Kings.
"Humans evolve with animals, you can't eliminate one without the other"
FAMILY'S THINGS
Quarona is a small town in the Italian region of Piedmont to which Pietro Loro Piana moved from nearby Triverio, and in which he founded Ing. Loro Piana & C. in 1924 and opened a wool factory.
In the early 40's Franco Loro Piana, Pietro's grandson, took over the reins of the family business and began to export textiles, gradually acquiring a reputation in the sector.
It was in the 1970s when Franco's children, Sergio and Pier Luigi took over the company, gradually turning it into what it is today: a benchmark for luxury and sustainability.
The firm has carried out various philanthropic projects in nature reserves in Peru and Argentina to fight against the extinction of the vicuña and support sustainable wool production.
Among the raw materials of Loro Piana –some of the finest and rarest in the world– are cashmere from goats in northern China and Mongolia, vicuña from the Andes, extra-fine merino wool from Australia and New Zealand, and lotus flower fiber from Myanmar.
The company combines traditional techniques and the latest technology to offer products of the highest quality and all its ready-to-wear collections and accessories are made in Italy.
Filming took place in Mongolia, the Altai and Helan mountains, the Gobi desert and Alashan
EXTREME TEMPERATURES AND REMOTE LOCATIONS
Loro Piana has been working hard for more than six generations in the search for the highest quality fibers in the most remote places in the world, so the raw materials used are unique and very difficult to find.
The documentary Kashmir - The Origin of a Secret paints a portrait of Long-lasting harmonies, intense hardness and sublime softness, characteristics that can only be found in hidden and hidden corners.
Luc Jacquet, fascinated by the symbiosis between humans, animals and the environment , films for the first time the experience of living in a world constantly challenged by the phenomena of nature.
Filming took place in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia , in the mountains of Altai and Helan , in the dunes of gobi desert and in the county of alashan , locations subject to extreme temperatures.
documentary frame
The first step of production took place six months before the start of filming. First Luc Jacquet traveled to Mongolia to explore the locations before filming begins.
Once the scenarios have been chosen, filming lasted about a year and a half. The filming took time because you had to comb the goats at a specific time of year. Furthermore, Luc wanted to shoot both during the extremely cold winter and during the hot summer.
In these places live the small cashmere goats called Capra hircus . Here the team experienced first-hand the daily life of the shepherds and their flocks: "There is no will, it's just a matter of time and evolution," said director Luc Jacquet.
“Humans evolve with animals, you can't eliminate one without the other and, in the end, it's evolution that produces these amazing fibers,” he added.
Film director and environmentalist Luc Jacquet
THE HIRCUS GOAT AND ITS HABITAT
The shepherds take care of capra hircus goats in a sustainable way, gathering the fibers in harmony with the natural cycle and making sure that their knowledge continues to be passed down from generation to generation.
However, breeding has recently intensified upsetting a centuries-old ecological balance and also causing the reduction of the amount of fibers and desertification.
Loro Piana collaborates closely with local communities and producers to promote the protection and conservation of native species and the Mongolian ecosystem as well as not to lose culture and traditions.
“We share with Luc a deep respect for this life ruled by the elements. Through his artistic lens, he has been able to capture the wonder of this effort that has captivated us so deeply for decades,” said Fabio d'Angelantonio, CEO of Loro Piana.
And he added: “it is an impressive tribute to the collaboration of Loro Piana with the communities that dedicate their lives to harvest some of the most precious fibers in the world."
Remote locations and extreme temperatures
THE LORO PIANA METHOD
The Italian firm launched in 2009 the so-called “Loro Piana Method” in the Inner Mongolia region, which promotes a sustainable development model which aims to restore the balance of the area and harmony between the fauna, the environment and the local population.
A) Yes, Loro Piana's adventure with local shepherds represented a significant improvement in the fineness of cashmere fibers and after the successful method, in 2015 came the Loro Piana Kashmir of the Year Award.
The purpose of the award is support those who raise the goats and harvest the cashmere, one of the firm's most prized fabrics.
Since the introduction of this award, more and more pastors are putting all their efforts into obtaining this award, whose criteria are: fiber fineness, length and yield.
The documentary Cashmere - The Origin of a Secret opens this Friday, October 18 at the MIFA 1862 Art Center in Shanghai and will be available on the Loro Piana website from October 19 and in private screenings around the world.
Inspiring, exciting and beautiful