Boll & Branch mastered ethical cotton. Now it’s taking on cashmere
For centuries, cashmere was a fabric so rare that Persian merchants dubbed it “soft gold.” Mughal emperors and European aristocrats gave them as gifts to one another. It was sourced from Himalayan goats that needed delicate undercoats to survive freezing, high-altitude climates—then hand-combed by herders and spun into prized shawls. Today, however, the “fiber of kings” has undergone a massive…
Boll & Branch, a brand known for its ethical supply chains, is now venturing into the cashmere market with a higher-end offering. The company has launched a $999 cashmere blanket, making it among the first direct-to-consumer brands to be certified by the Good Cashmere Standard. This blanket stands out from the sea of affordable cashmere products that have flooded the market, often produced through exploitative practices.
With a price tag of $999, the blanket targets a luxury consumer base, indicating that there is a market of customers who value the origins of their home goods as much as their quality. Boll & Branch, founded in 2014, began as a direct-to-consumer brand that sourced organic cotton directly from farms in India to bypass forced labor and toxic pesticides in the global cotton supply chain.
After achieving success with its organic cotton products, the brand is now focusing on animal fibers, starting with wool. However, the company wants to create a cashmere blanket that upholds the same ethical standards it has been known for. To achieve this, Boll & Branch partnered with Marzotto, a 190-year-old Italian mill, to adopt the Good Cashmere Standard, which evaluates farms for proper nutrition, pasture management, and goat welfare.
The resulting blanket features a solid twill weave and delicate shell-stitch embroidery made from wool. By ensuring that the fibers were harvested only during the spring molting season and that herders received fair wages, Boll & Branch aims to provide customers with a high-quality, ethically sourced cashmere product that rivals other luxury bedding brands.
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