Spring 2012

The desert is seemingly one of the last places one would go in search of wild fibers, but this issue takes an extraordinary look at Oman where natural fibers and ancient traditions go hand-in-hand. Moving slightly north and a little to the east we land in Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic that shares a border with Afghanistan. In the remote mountain villages that once engaged in trade with Siberia, Tajik farmers are now improving the quality of mohair by using Texan Angora goat genetics.
Boston's "Cashmere Cop" Karl Spilhaus, president of CCMI (Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute) looks at last year's police blotter of fiber fakes. The results are unsettlingly revealing.