We source our high-quality raw materials directly from producers and manufacturers in Mongolia. We have a very high standard regarding the quality of the delivered goods. We source our leather, cashmere, sheep and camel wool directly from Mongolian nomads. All steps from the production stages to further processing are regularly checked by us.
All leather, cashmere and wool from Noble Nomads come from sustainable, ecological livestock breeding. In order to maintain the highest quality standard, we regularly check the production and further processing stages in order to provide you with the finest of our noble’s raw materials.
Leather |
The majority of Mongolians live a nomadic lifestyle. This comes to roughly 63 million farm animals, who are tended by 3 million of the nation’s inhabitants. The animals live freely in herds alongside the nomads and are not kept in stables. About four times a year, they migrate from one pastureland to another, covering long distances in mostly mountainous terrain.
Noble Nomads uses high-quality cow, goat and sheep leather for further processing. The animal’s hides are brought directly from the nomads to the city for further processing.
All production steps are carried out in Mongolia through traditional networks and established companies, whom we work closely with. Our local connections allow us to continuously monitor the quality of both the raw materials supplied by the nomads and the further processing of said material.
Cashmere |
The hair of the cashmere goat is considered to be the noblest of wool throughout the world. What makes our resources special is the fact that the animals in Mongolia are not shorn, rather combed. Moreover, our cashmere only comes from free-roaming goat herds of selected nomad families from Mongolia.
The quality is determined by the fineness and length of the best goat hair. The animal’s coat is combed by hand in spring, when the animal begins to change its coat. It is during this time where almost 60% of the combed hair is sorted out. This traditional process which has hardly changed throughout the centuries produces only the finest material, as modern-day machines cannot recognize the difference between the fine bottom hair and the coarse top hair of the animal.
The extreme temperatures of the Mongolian steppes, which can often reach a temperature of up to -40 degrees Celsius, are an absolute prerequisite for the formation of the fluffy hair of the cashmere goat. At the end of winter, the goats are combed out by the nomads in order to help the goats change their coat. During this process, roughly 150-250 grams of wool are collected per animal. A large part of the wool sorting process has to be done by hand, as the top coat and the undercoat must be separated from each other carefully. After this, the wool collected is then to be cleaned in several washing cycles before further processing can take place in the spinning mill.
Wool |
Camel hair wool
Camel wool is obtained in the late spring and early summer, as the animals begin to change their coat. Our camels, the so-called ??? animals with two humps, are not sheared, rather the fur that is shed is collected by hand. Each camel produces about 8 to 10 kilograms of wool.
With a fineness of 17 to 22 microns, camel wool has a quality similar to cashmere. Due to the extreme differences in climate in the Mongolian steppes, the wool suitable for warm and cold weather alike, as it naturally regulates the temperature of the wearer according to the climate. Moreover, the wool is skin-friendly has a very low lanolin content, which makes it well suited for people who suffer from any animal allergies.
Sheep wool
Like cashmere and camel wool, sheep’s wool is also ‘harvested’ in the spring. As with the goats, the sheep are sheared manually, and the different types of fur are immediately separated during the process. The finest wool yields approx. 2.5 to 4 kilograms per sheep, depending on the animal’s individual type.
The sheep’s wool comes from Gobi Argali sheep. This wool is particularly soft, very easy to care for, and has great moisture regulating properties. The fine hair of the Argali Sheep is thinner than the normal Virgin Sheep’s wool and has micron values similar to those of camel wool.
Sustainability in production and further processing
Cashmere producing process
The carefully shorn wool is cleaned of any dirt and bacteria in the factory. The washed wool is then combed through once again in a process known as de-awning. Here the top coat and the undercoat are separated from each other in order to gather the finer hair of the undercoat.
In total, there are seven steps throughout the entire de-awning process, by the end of which the wool has lost more than 40% of its original weight. The wool is then sorted by colour and washed once again. The gathered wool is then dyed according to the customer’s wishes and further processed as yarn.
Cashmere is one of the most valuable natural fibres, as cashmere wool has very good heat retention properties. Combined with the material’s natural low weight, this makes cashmere a quality resource for any textile product. The wool of the cashmere goat is extremely fine, with a diameter of 15 to 19 microns (human hair has 75 microns) and a thread length of 25 to 90 millimetres. (1000 microns = 1 millimeter)
Depending on the type of product to be made, a greater or lower number of threads are to be used throughout the production process. Normally, cashmere is usually spun with two to twelve threads. The fewer number of threads, the softer the end-product will be thereby increasing the wearer’s comfort. The greater number of threads used, the thicker and thereby warmer the product will be. For context, in order to make a sweater, you will need about the wool of about five goats.
Cashmere is always much softer than wool and is much more warming when finely woven. Moreover, the material is highly resistant against tears and is also dirt-repellent.
Our tanning process
After separating the hair from the hide, various tanning processes can be used to further process the leather. In order to ensure the highest quality material, we at Noble Nomads use two types of all-natural chrome-free leather tanning processes: the so-called ‘Full Vegetable’ process, (aka: vegetable tanning), and the ‘Easy White’ process.
Full Vegetable Tanning Process
With the full vegetable tanning process, only vegetable tanning agents are used to achieve the desired results. Here the leather is treated with various tanning agents, which are primarily obtained from oak and mimosa bark. This particular process has many advantages. In terms of production, it is much more environmentally friendly as the vegetable tanning agents are biodegradable. For the consumer however, this process ensures that no toxic substances are present in the final product. Because of this, the Full Vegetable tanning process is used in particular for the production of leather to be used in handbags, shoes and within many textile industries.
The waste from vegetable tanning is 100% natural and fully bio-degradable. This means that through this process, the environment is hardly polluted at all. This also makes it very suitable for further processing by hand. Moreover, the final leather product gains a natural colour which makes it very appealing.
Easy White Tanning process
In comparison to Full Vegetable, the Easy White method of processing leather is also a natural tanning process. The primary difference between the two is the fact that with the Easy White tanning process chemical tanning agents are used instead of vegetable tanning agents. However, these chemical tanning agents are non-toxic and completely biodegradable, making Easy White currently one of the most economically and environmentally friendly tanning processes in the world. The process is somewhat more complex and cost-intensive than the Full Vegetable process and is often used in particular for leather in the furniture and automotive industries.
An great advantage of this process is its low water consumption in comparison to the other conventional processes.
Both tanning processes do not use any toxic chemicals and completely avoid using chromium, alkali and/or acidic agents. At no point during processing does the leather come into contact with any substances that can endanger human health or the environment. It is because of this, that Easy White and Full Vegetable tanning are considered to be completely ecological and environmentally friendly.
Coloration
Depending on the end product desired, the different tanning process are followed up with a color dye. All leather is dyed using organic means in an environmentally friendly way.
