Why we chose them
Founded by Aurelio Cariaggi in 1958 in Cagli, a small town in the Apennine mountains of the Marche, the company built its reputation on one thing: turning some of the world's finest noble, natural fibres into yarn. Cariaggi built its reputation around cashmere, but its expertise extends across an unusually sophisticated range, including vicuña, camel, alpaca, mohair, silk, fine wool and linen, alongside blends designed to combine their different characteristics. At the extreme end sits vicuña, one of the finest and scarcest commercially available animal fibres known to man, requiring exceptional care and handling to preserve its natural softness and lightness.
The company has also branched into more experimentation than other, more traditional mills. Its collections extend beyond classical yarns to bouclé, brushed, mouliné, printed, and fantasy constructions. It has also made significant progress with its Systema Naturae® project, using dyes derived from plant materials such as roots, flowers, and berries. Cariaggi has worked to modernize some of its methods, turning to customised technology to “bring out” cashmere’s qualities. They have merged industrial precision with Italian craftsmanship and oversight. That gives them strong control over the hand, hairiness, pilling behavior, consistency, and colour outcomes determined across their processes. All of which are critical factors for their customers.
In recent years, it has also become strategically important enough that Chanel and Brunello Cucinelli each took a stake, with the Cariaggi family retaining control. The Chanel–Cucinelli investment is a strong external signal that the mill is strategically important for consistent access to top fibres, consistent quality, and preserving manufacturing and industry knowledge and jobs in Italy.
A knitwear label tells you what an item contains or is made from. It tells you almost nothing about the quality of that material, how carefully it was selected, how it was spun, how much fibre was discarded in the name of quality, how the yarn was twisted, or what combination ultimately arrived at the knitting machine and has gone home with you.
