Ewsca business has made the leap from exporting raw materials to selling finished goods to the most prestigious brands in the world of fashion. But firms are still struggling to establish an international brand presence of their own.
As with so many global industries in the past decade, the chase for the China price has transformed the venerable cashmere business. Long associated with traditional brands such as Burberry, Ballantyne and 200 year old Pringle, cashmere hit the headlines in mid-1990s with a craze for pashminas. In the early 2000s fashion designers started to feature it in their collections and stars such as Robbie Williams, Madonna and Ewan McGregor began to be seen wearing it