Camel hair – cashmere quality
It's worth knowing that camel wool is one of the most luxurious wools there is, comparable in quality to cashmere. Its softness satisfies even the most demanding customers. The finest hair comes from Bactrian (two-humped) camels. The wool obtained can be divided into two categories: the first, outer layer, also known as the protective layer, is coarser and inelastic, while the second, closest to the skin, forms the insulating fibre and is incredibly soft and pleasant.
If you're looking for a sweater made of luxurious wool but also want to shop responsibly, a camel wool sweater is the right choice. Why?
Although cashmere is just as luxurious as camel wool, it is obtained in a different way – by combing the goats' hair with sharp metal combs. "Cashmere" goats are kept in cruel conditions, held in one position for many hours so that they can be combed as easily as possible. As a PETA investigation revealed, goats are often injured and jabbed with the sharp combs during combing, and their throats are often cut after the harvest. So while the wool obtained is certainly of high quality, anyone who also cares about the ethical side will never wear a cashmere sweater. The alternative is camel wool – just as luxurious, but produced in a sustainable spirit, ethical and cruelty-free.
Camel wool is not obtained by shearing or plucking the animal – it is collected when the animal sheds its coat during its natural moulting season, in spring. Interestingly, back when Bactrian camels were bred exclusively by nomads, they would gather the hair the animals shed along the trail and store it in their caravans!
About 2 kg of wool can be produced from one camel. Both the outer layer, i.e. the guard hair, and the inner layer, the so-called undercoat, are collected at the same time and then usually separated from each other by machine. For this reason, there is no question of the animals suffering.
Camel wool – the colours of the desert
Natural camel wool comes in beautiful golden shades of brown and beige, from light to dark, with a hint of red. These colours are so beautiful that it would practically be a sin to dye it. That's why Furora sweaters made of camel wool are 100% natural, undyed fibres from the inner layer of the camel's coat.
Properties of the wool
Camel wool is considered the most durable of all the wools in the world. The climate these desert animals live in (scorching days and freezing nights) has forced camels to develop a sturdy coat as an adaptation. The exceptional strength of the hair translates into a long life for products made of camel wool.
Besides durability, the thermal properties of camel wool are also worth mentioning.
On the one hand, it is brilliant at keeping out cold and damp; on the other, when it's hot, it absorbs sweat superbly, so the air next to your skin always stays dry. As if that weren't enough, the special structure of the hair lets excess warm air escape to the outside! Magic? No – fantastic Mother Nature
Camel wool is also used for therapeutic purposes, often mentioned in connection with bedding. Contact between the skin and the wool improves blood circulation, helps joint mobility and relieves rheumatic complaints.
