Cashmere Vs Mohair: What’s The Difference?
Shopping for warm and fuzzy clothing can be confusing with a variety of options out there. If you’re having a hard time choosing the right fabric, check out our guide to the differences between cashmere vs mohair.
When shopping for clothes, there are different natural fibers to know about. You’ve got alpaca wool, angora wool, merino wool, pure cashmere, and more. These wool fabrics make great sweaters, scarves, gloves, socks, coats, and even dresses.
And when it comes to the specific type of wool you should get, it depends on your needs and how cold your location is. In today’s article, we’re diving deeper into the differences between cashmere vs mohair specifically. Both are luxurious fibers that are readily available not just in the United States but around the world too.
What Is Cashmere?
Cashmere wool is a soft, silky material produced from the undercoat of Kashmir goats. It has a luxurious, buttery soft feel that has resulted in it being considered by some to be the finest, most luxurious material in the fashion industry.
As cashmere goats typically only produce 200-300g of cashmere per year, it is also incredibly hard to source, which makes it more expensive than other types of wool on the market.
What Is Mohair?
Mohair is a type of wool that comes from the Turkish Angora goat. Mohair is silky, soft, fluffy, and has a high luster. This natural fabric is durable and keeps its shape well, making it perfect for sweaters or scarves. Mohair is also warm—but not as warm as cashmere.
Cashmere Vs Mohair: The Main Differences
Before we start on their differences, let’s also acknowledge some of the similarities that cashmere and mohair share.
They both have super fine strands, unbeatable insulating properties, high luster and they’re hypoallergenic, which is amazing if you have sensitive skin. Plus, they share characteristics that most natural fibers do: they’re moisture-wicking, odor resistant and relatively stain-resistant.
But given that both cashmere and mohair are derived from animals, there’s a very real possibility that some people could find the materials irritating and itchy, although this is rare. It’s always best to check first before investing in any expensive clothing item.
Now, let’s talk about their key differences.
1. Wool Origin
Mohair and cashmere are both sourced from the hair of goats, although each comes from a different breed of goat. Cashmere is the soft wool of a Kashmir goat, whereas mohair comes from the Angora goat. South Africa is home to the largest mohair farms in the world.
Most cashmere is produced by China and Mongolia, where Kashmir goats are native – in fact, these two countries supply up to two-thirds of this fine wool.
It’s also important to note that mohair should not be confused with angora fabric. Mohair fiber comes from angora goats, while angora fabric comes from the fur of angora rabbits.
2. Characteristics
Cashmere is softer than mohair, which comes from how cashmere fibers cluster together, and how thin the fiber naturally is. This makes cashmere pieces ultra-fine and incredibly lightweight – perfect for a multitude of uses ranging from sweaters to blankets.
Mohair is soft and luxurious as well, but not as soft to the touch as cashmere. The long undercoat of mohair has a defined curl pattern which is silky soft, but after sheering, the undercoat gets mixed with the coarse straight guard hair affecting the overall texture.
For this reason, mohair fibers are usually separated for different uses: the more delicate, finer fibers go toward making clothing, and the coarser fibers are used to create rugs. Sometimes, mohair is mixed with silk to add more softness to the fabric.
While mohair isn’t as lightweight as cashmere, it is stronger and more durable. This means the fabric tolerates higher temperatures better, and you can even put it in a washing machine, unlike cashmere. However, we do recommend taking extra precautions when doing this: use a wash bag to avoid stretching your items, use warm or cold water, and a gentle cycle.
3. Affordability
Pure cashmere is definitely more expensive than mohair. This is mainly because cashmere goats produce such a limited amount of wool per year compared to most other goats and sheep.
As we mentioned, the cashmere goat produces about 200-300 g of cashmere per year, whereas an angora goat can produce 3.6-7 kg – that’s as much as 23x more! The limited supply means that it is rarer and therefore costs more.
In addition to this, as cashmere is naturally softer and more luxurious feeling, many people are willing to pay more for it for this reason as well.
With this said, the overall price of your pieces ultimately comes down to which brand you are buying from – some brands produce cashmere pieces for less than $100, while designer brands can jack up their prices regardless of the fabric. Some retailers also mix cashmere with other fibers, either to enhance it or to lower the cost.
On the other hand, mohair is not as exclusive as cashmere, but it can be quite pricey as well since it’s also considered a warm, luxury fabric.
4. Uses
Both cashmere and mohair are perfect for producing throw blankets, luxurious throws, sweaters, coats, scarves, gloves, and dresses.
However, as we already mentioned, coarser mohair fibers are also used to create rugs, carpets, sofas, wall fabrics, and even teddy bear plushies and doll wigs!
Our Favorite Cashmere VS Mohair Products
1. Tops
As you can probably imagine, cashmere is more expensive than mohair. This means that cashmere sweaters will be more popular than mohair ones. The quality of the fabric, however, makes up for the price difference and makes it worthwhile to buy a high-quality sweater made from either material.
A classic striped sweater is very much a Scandinavian staple, so if you want to dress like your favorite minimalist Scandi fashion influencers, then you should check out this Funnel Neck Pure Cashmere Sweater from COS.
It’s super soft to the touch, ultra-chic, and elevated. Made with 100% cashmere, it’s designed with dropped shoulders for a laid-back fit – and you can wear this with either jeans, trousers, skirts, tailored shorts, leather leggings, and more.
For a chic outfit that you can wear on less chilly days, grab the Alzou Mohair Blend Crop Cardigan from Jacquemus. It’s a fuzzy cardigan that features a front button closure at the chest for a subtle Y2K aesthetic. It comes in four different colors and crated with a blend of 50% mohair, 36% polyamide, and 14% wool.
2. Gloves
These quirky striped Uniqlo gloves are made with 100% cashmere, and they’re the perfect pop of color to an otherwise plain outfit. For only $50 per pair, these gloves are guaranteed to keep your fingers and hands warm and stylish at the same time.
For something a little more luxurious, these designer taupe mohair gloves from Raf Simons are the real deal. They’re made with 67% mohair, 28% nylon, and 5% wool – an all too luxurious blend for $230 a pair.
3. Scarves
Both cashmere and mohair are mostly used for scarves and wraps.
The embroidered anagram cashmere scarf from Loewe sits at a price tag of $350, and although it is tagged as a cashmere scarf, it is made with 90% wool and only 10% cashmere.
This super chic mohair checked scarf from Acne Studios is fuzzy, comfortable, and stylish too. It’s made with a mohair blend with fuzzy fringes and detailed with the signature Acne Studios logo. If you’re into statement designer pieces, then you should definitely pic this one up. For $310, it’s only a few dollars cheaper than its cashmere counterpart from Loewe.
4. Dresses
Heading to a winter party soon? The Mimani Cashmere Maxi Dress from Altuzarra is a charming cutout sweater dress that’s the perfect choice for a formal party. It’s made with 100% cashmere with long sleeves to keep you warm. Pair this with a sleek high heels and a statement designer party bag for a look that’ll steal hearts this season.
For a casual day out, consider the Loose Mohair Knit Dress from Silk Maison. It’s a feminine minimalist dress that flares out into a relaxing silhouette, and you can wear this with a chic belt if you think that it’s too boxy for you.
Conclusion
So, which one should you get? It depends on what you’re looking for.
If your budget is tight, and you want a fabric that isn’t too fussy to clean, we’d say you’re better off investing in mohair over cashmere. This fabric is cheaper and will still feel soft against your skin. Plus, it’s not as prone to losing its shape as cashmere, if you accidentally mishandle it.
But if you want a quality material that lasts decades when properly taken care of and always looks beautiful, then cashmere may be the better choice. Either way, both fabrics make great clothing items—and they’re both naturally eco-friendly!
We hope you enjoyed our analysis of cashmere vs mohair! For more similar articles, make sure to check out the posts below.
Get More Fashion Ideas
Cashmere Vs Wool: Which Fabric Is Better?
What To Wear With A Satin Shirt (Or Top): 25 Outfit Ideas
