Frequently Asked
Questions

Mohair is considered the main speciality or rare animal fibre. Mohair is classified as a natural animal fibre and has many outstanding qualities namely : Lustre, light weight, climate control, non-flammable, crease resistant, durable and it takes dye beautifully.

The age of the animal determines the various types of mohair: Kid Mohair (baby animal up to 6 - 12 months old), Young Goat 9 - 18 months +, Fine Adult and Strong Adult (24 months +). The different types of mohair are used for various applications. (Suiting fabric, knitted garments, hand knitting yarns, upholstery fabrics, floor rugs and carpets).

In South Africa, the Angora Goats fleece is shorn (hair cut) twice a year -Summer and Winter.

The Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) is a global certification standard that addresses animal, land and social welfare in the mohair industry. The standard was developed with Textile Exchange, a global nonprofit that creates leaders in the preferred fibre and materials industry. The RMS aims to provide the industry with the tools to recognise farmers’ best practices and traceability systems throughout the entire supply/value chain, from the farm to the finished product.

A supply chain is a process between producing and distributing a product, and it deals directly with the suppliers and the logistics of getting the product to the market. A value chain is each player’s contribution to the chain by adding some value to the product. With traceability and transparency being of utmost importance to the mohair industry, the RMS requires recording information at each stage of the supply chain to ensure the product is RMS certified.

Every block of the supply chain requires RMS certification for the product to be RMS certified at the end of the process. This means that the farmer/producer, broker, processor, spinner, designer/manufacturer, and retailer must be RMS certified.

Non-certified mohair means either the producer or part of the value chain has not been RMS certified.

Mohair has a natural sheen or lustre vs Wool yet is very similar to wool but with a much smoother surface and very thin smooth scales.