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I absolutely love natural materials and of course, for my winter capsule wardrobe, there is one essential element: the famous cashmere sweater.
But where to buy it? From whom? How much? Quick reminder: cashmere comes from a Cashmere goat. During the freezing winter, it develops a very soft undercoat, and we collect this undercoat in spring when it falls out. For this, you just need to comb the goat, just like you comb your cat.
I’ve tested numerous brands, I even did a comparison, but I wasn’t particularly drawn to any specific brand. I realized that these brands all buy cashmere from Inner Mongolia. I watched a documentary a long time ago on TV and found that the breeding methods in Inner Mongolia had nothing to do with the nomadism of MONGOLIA (the neighboring country). Major brands don’t want to talk about China because it sounds cheap, but made in Inner Mongolia = made in China.
According to my book on fabrics, 70% of cashmere comes from Inner Mongolia. Only 20% from Mongolia.
So, for a change, I spent time looking for brands that make clothes from MONGOLIAN cashmere and found the brand GOBI.
We don’t hear much about them because they don’t even have physical stores in France (they are just an e-shop). Their closest store is in Berlin.
Gobi used to belong to the Mongolian government. They were later privatized and bought by Mongolian & Japanese companies. In recent years, they’ve been putting a lot of effort into marketing, but I think in France, it’s not really taking off because people are afraid to pay so much for an unknown brand that’s only available online. Fear not, I’ve tested it for you and I’ll give you some advice.
Why buy from Gobi?
I watched a very interesting video made by a fiber expert. He claimed that you couldn’t get quality cashmere sweaters for less than $200. He bought many brands (Uniqlo, Asket, Gobi, COS) to look at, count the number of threads, the number of threads per cm², the weight of each sweater, etc., and to his great surprise, he found the quality of the GOBI sweater met his expectations (gauge of 19, seamless construction, 180g of cashmere, 100% from Mongolia). The other brands, according to him, already pill too much when they’re brand new, and at this price, he says, there must be a sacrifice somewhere.
If Gobi can offer high-quality sweaters for less than $200, it’s thanks to their vertical integration. Everything is done in Mongolia, they don’t use intermediaries. They buy directly from thousands of Mongolians (nomads and farmers), they process the fiber, they weave their own cashmere yarn, and their Mongolian seamstresses make beautiful clothes directly at Gobi. By eliminating all the intermediaries like other big brands (for example, Eric Bompard buys their products from Erdos and doesn’t have a factory), they can manufacture clothes for 1 and sell them to us for 2, which means a very, very low margin (to be comfortable, you need a ratio of 4 or 5).
How do I know all this? Because I’ve been a nerd and read their 2023 and mid-2024 financial statements. Their prices are so advantageous that the company LOSES money every year. Why? Too low a margin, and they are investing heavily in marketing & points of sale; and it seems to me that they are becoming deeply indebted because their Finance Costs are very high. So I think that sooner or later, the question of profitability will be on everyone’s lips and the price is likely to increase, so I advise you to take an interest in this brand quickly. Moreover, the raw material is increasingly rare and expensive due to climate change, I’m building my little stock now and these sweaters will last me several years. Finally, breeding structures are smaller in Mongolia, there is less risk of mistreatment than in large Chinese farms. I think many were shocked by the PETA photos a few years ago.
To verify this information, I went to do research on the Mongolian subreddit hahaha and the Mongolians all recommend buying Gobi. Some even boast of having factory prices (for slightly imperfect pieces) because they are Mongolian and live right next door.
Quality of Gobi cashmere
The quality of cashmere starts with the fiber. Cashmere yarn is evaluated according to three main criteria:
- the thickness of the fiber (in microns)
- the average length of the fiber and (this point is important)
- the percentage of short fibers in the yarn. These short fibers will eventually detach and cause pilling. Thus, if the percentage of short fibers exceeds about 8-10%, the garment is likely to pill.
On their site, the brand explains the superiority of Mongolian cashmere: “To protect the term ‘cashmere’, the US government has adopted the Wool Labeling Act, which states that to be called ‘cashmere’, the fabric must have a diameter of 19 microns or less. Some regions of Mongolia produce cashmere with a diameter between 13 and 14 microns. This means it is the finest and most expensive fiber, in other words, what is called Khaan Shirhegt, the ‘royal fiber’, which stands out from others by its superior quality. […] The climate, habitat, and living conditions of Mongolian cashmere goats are the source of the superior quality of our cashmere.”
On most products, Gobi says they use 15 micron cashmere. At Loro Piana, you can go down to 13 microns with “baby cashmere” but the price is not the same (€2000). At Eric Bompard, it’s between 15.5 and 16 microns for an average length of 35mm. At Kujten, 16.8 microns and 46 mm in length. So Gobi, in terms of quality/price, is the top of the class.
To know if all this is true, you’d have to send the sweater to a lab, sacrifice it, so that the fibers can be measured. But fortunately, you can get a pretty good idea of the quality of the product by using it over a long period and observing the pills it might develop. If a new sweater already has a cloud of pills, for example, we simply won’t buy it. New sweaters from Gobi have few pills compared to competitors.
1-ply, 2-ply, 4-ply?
Beware, many products at Gobi are “1-ply” (the site awkwardly translates it as “single fold”). Generally, when you buy cashmere, it’s indicated “1-ply, 2-ply, 4-ply” etc. I’ve seen some videos criticizing 1-ply cashmere or saying it doesn’t exist. GOBI is the manufacturer, they put as many plies as they want, they can have 1-ply, 3-ply, or 18-ply if they want.
The number of plies doesn’t intrinsically indicate the quality of the cashmere; it’s rather related to the thickness and warmth of the garment. Single-ply cashmere makes the garment lighter and more delicate. On the other hand, two-ply cashmere has two strands twisted together (which you see more often with other brands), resulting in a denser, warmer, and more robust garment. The number of plies only affects the thickness of the sweater, not the quality. A two-ply or even four-ply sweater, with many short fibers, won’t look good after a few months.
Loss leader <— I don’t recommend
For the first purchase, I think no one will find this product. Indeed, you just need to go to Accessories – Beanie and you’ll see the Beanie & Sweater pack. That’s the one I bought first.
I found the same thing on Vinted for 85 euros so I took it directly from Vinted. I opted for the orange color. You know, to have vibrant colors, you need to have a high-quality base wool. The white color costs more than the others because it can be dyed in several vivid colors. The sweater uses a single ply (1-ply), and the beanie uses a double twisted ply so it looks thicker.
My opinion
You can tell it’s the loss leader because the beanie in the pack doesn’t have the same construction as the other beanies (sold for 59 euros). Here, the beanie is knitted in a normal way while the others are ribbed. However, they still pay attention to small details, for example the seams inside the beanie are sewn and then flattened, so when I wear it, I’m not at all bothered by the seams, unlike my merino wool beanie.
As for the sweater, the knit is woven less tightly than my other cashmeres. I feel like it’s lighter. The cashmere remains very soft and has few pills, it keeps warm well.
But here, I’m a bit stuck on the slightly loose knit, I think it’s a product that deserves NO attention. It’s very difficult to come across this product as you have to search the entire site, so in my opinion, you’ll be immediately attracted to better quality products.
Sweater / cardigan <— I recommend
I recommend going directly to the normal products, which cost barely more, especially during sales. This cardigan, I paid 130 euros during the pre-Christmas discounts but it’s one of the most expensive tops on the site.
0 shipping costs, shipped by UPS (you can use UPS tracking to pick up the package at a relay point). I get 8.5% cashback with iGraal (if you don’t have an iGraal account, I can refer you here, it gives you extra 3 euros immediately), which is extremely generous. So ultimately, it’s a price barely more expensive than Uniqlo, Monoprix etc. for superior quality and 100% Mongolian origin.
I chose this cardigan because I find it classy and especially because it has a metal zipper. I love it when it’s metal because it lasts much longer. Attention, during washing, remember to wash inside out and to close this zipper well!!!! I wasn’t paying attention at the time of purchase, but I had the huge surprise of discovering that it’s also part of the brand’s ORGANIC and 3D-KNIT line.
The ORGANIC line is a way for the brand to save money, but also to preserve our planet. Let me explain: the cashmere goat has 4 main undercoat colors, so without dyeing, we can only get a few pastel shades, we won’t be able to have a nice burgundy for example.
However, if we just offer natural shades like the GOBI ORGANIC line, we won’t need chemicals to bleach or dye them. And even when using natural pigments, you know you still need heavy metal compounds to fix the color. So everyone is happy, except those who really like non-natural colors.
Then, the other innovation is 3D-Knit, you may have already seen it at Uniqlo. It’s a Japanese innovation, but since Gobi has Japanese shareholders, the machine went directly to Mongolia to weave seamless sweaters. Before, we had to weave each piece of the sweater and put them together on a special knitting sewing machine. This way of doing things wastes part of the fibers (it’s too long to explain but it’s part of the knitting manufacturing process). Now, by having the new machine directly produce the seamless sweater, we waste fewer fibers, and the consumer is also less bothered by the shoulder seams. It’s a beautiful innovation we have here, it’s superb! It’s not a technology used for all models, so look for 3D knit in the product sheet if you have any doubts. This 3D technology, in the future, will allow us to have custom-made sweaters, it’s being experimented with at some innovative brands.
Technical info
- 15 micron cashmere
- Natural color
- 3D Knit construction
- Fiber length? Gauge? Number of plies? Not always communicated
My opinion
The weaving is tighter on this cardigan, which I find very soft and very warm. The 3D weaving is really fun, it’s completely flat at the armhole. I regularly wear it inside out because it’s soft on both sides, I can’t immediately tell which is the right side 😀
I find that the cardigan pills as soon as it arrives, but it doesn’t pill any more when you wear it. I think weaving with a single ply contributes a bit more to pilling.
The warmth is phenomenal with this cardigan, which seems quite thin. Even when it’s very cold, I just need to wear a layer of merino wool, wear this cardigan over it, and complete with a warm coat. Plus, the collar rises high enough to protect the neck. I really like having two pockets (I like pockets where I can warm my hands).
The downsides
- There aren’t only positive things about Gobi. I’ve noticed that during promotions, they artificially increase prices to make you think the promotion is more interesting. Beware, there is a genuine reduction in price, except that you’ll believe you’re getting -50% when in reality, it’s only -20%. I don’t find that super cool, but to verify the original price, just type the product name into Google and you’ll see the previous price in the Google results. In exchange, the brand regularly offers deals like buy one, get one free. Super advantageous for dressing yourself and your partner.
- While the ORGANIC range costs them less, the prices are the same as the bright colors that require bleaching and additional dyeing. In exchange, white fibers cost more too but they’re at the same price as the less expensive colors. So it’s up to you to take this into account when making your purchase.
- The site bugs from time to time, and sometimes when you arrive at a category that’s highlighted, it says “error 404”. I advise you to buy calmly via a computer to avoid this kind of problem
- This is not an issue specifically related to Gobi but to the cashmere industry globally. To meet global demand, there are more and more goats. They have an unfortunate tendency to eat by uprooting, so despite nomadism, the Mongolian steppes have fewer and fewer trees and grass. I therefore advise you to buy less but of quality so as not to have to buy a cashmere sweater every year; in order to reduce demand.
I remind you of my iGraal referral thanks to which you can have 8.5% cashback on Gobi Cashmere. As usual, I am not sponsored and bought the products with my own money. I hope this adds to your long list of favorite brands a more qualitative and unusual choice.
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