(Caring for Cashmere
Properly washed and cared for, all VIVIANE CHANTALE women's cashmere clothes should keep their shape and last for many years.
Even if the care label reads "dry clean", hand-washing a cashmere knit is better, and will actually make it softer over time. (Only woven cashmere garments should be dry-cleaned so as not to lose their shape).
Washing
- Wash your knitted cashmere jumpers like your own hair, and they should be washed after 6-7 wearings to keep them looking their best.
- Use your shampoo, or a baby shampoo, or a mild detergent like Woolite. Be sure to dissolve this thoroughly in lukewarm water before putting in the sweater.
- Use a hair conditioner in the rinsing water to make the cashmere even softer and keep its loft.
- Wash different coloured garments separately and do not use bleach.
- Squeeze the garment gently, do not twist or wring. Twisting the wet sweater would stretch and spoil the sweater.
- Lay it flat on a towel after removing excess water, and reshape it as it dries, away from direct heat or sunlight.
- Press with a damp cloth if necessary, using a cool iron, from the inside of the garment.
Fold to store
To avoid lines down the middle of the sweater, fold each side of the sweater inward by a third, smooth the arms down and fold in half.
Do not leave hanging or this will stretch the garment and leave shoulder dimples, and the pull of gravity will distort the overall shape. Store in a plastic bag, in a dry moth-free drawer, chest or cupboard, and make sure there are no food particles on the garment which will also attract moth damage. Washing is recommended before garments are stored.
Basic tips to keep your cashmere garments looking clean and beautiful:
Best not to wear the same cashmere sweater every single day; allow a break between wears to allow it to restore itself. A couple of days will do. Silk, as a soft natural complement to cashmere, is ideal when worn as a scarf to protect the neckline from make-up. Alternatively, a nice silk blouse or shirt with a collar, worn underneath your cashmere sweater.
To protect your cashmere, avoid wearing rough jewellery which will snag, or rough textured belts that will pill the cashmere and can even wear it through. Avoid also textured leather or rough fabric bags that will catch on the cashmere yarn and damage it, or an outer jacket with a rough fabric lining.
Pilling
Pilling (little balls that get on the sweaters) is a natural occurrence on cashmere and wool. Some sweaters will pill more than others. Pilling is caused by friction of some sort (seat belt, handbag strap, briefcase, the synthetic lining of another garment) or abrasion during regular use.
When pilling occurs, just manually pick off, or carefully cut the pills off, breaking the connection. Then wash the garment according to the above instructions. To avoid pilling, it is important not to rub the garment against anything rough.