Sweater Better: Why You Should Ditch Cashmere for Baby Yak Wool

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Let's face it – cashmere sweaters are so '90s. They're also, thanks to lax labeling regs, rarely anything close to 100% cashmere. Just two reasons why Taylor Stitch decided to forego it in favor of something better. 

After the exhaustive R&D that they're known for, the S.F.-based apparel artisans decided that yak wool was just the thing. For starters it offers the same insulating properties and 'irresistible softness' of cashmere, they note; in fact, many, including us, argue that it’s even softer. 

And while baby Mongolian cashmere goats get forcibly shorn in midwinter, leaving them stressed and freezing, baby yaks naturally shed their ultra-soft undercoats in the springtime, meaning the fibers can merely be combed out and cleaned. 

Some of which finds its way into Taylor Stitch's Hardtack sweaters, which sound a bit tough because they are but will utterly astonish you with their softness. The brand blends in 3% wool for both added durability and a great texture and color that gives the goods a handsome donegal tweed look.

Available in both Polar (somewhere between off-white and oatmeal) and black with genuine sheepskin elbow patches, this piece is designed to go the distance for decades to come.