Vitale Barberis Canonico
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Wool & Blends
The finest fibres from the best areas.
Wool is the fundamental material of a classic garment, particularly in men’s clothing. The elegance of the fabric originates in the quality of the raw materials which Vitale Barberis Canonico selects at source.
The finest merino wool comes from the grasslands of Australia and New Zealand, the cashmere comes from China and the mohair from South Africa. Ready to be spun and then woven.
Wool
The finest wool from central Australia.
Vitale Barberis Canonico selects only the best Australian merino wool for its collections. Australian merino fibres give a unique performance to the fabric. It is white, soft and valued above all others and, when at its best, can even compare with cashmere.
Merino sheep moved from Asia Minor to Spain and were later introduced into Australia where this hardy, prolific sheep is now considered the most important breed worldwide. Vitale Barberis Canonico is one of the biggest buyers of merino wool and also owns two farms in Australia.
Australian merino fibres give a unique performance a fabric. The fibres range from 14.5 – 19.2 microns and 5 – 8 cms in length, while coarser fibres can be over 30 cms long. Merino wool is extremely fine, white and soft, and has always been in demand for fine cloths and precious yarns. Australian merino fleeces are more elegant than others, although the fibres are more difficult to spin. Australian sheep breeders are considered the best in classing the fleeces, guaranteeing a “clean” fleece without the less valuable parts.
Extrafine, the most highly prized variety of merino wool, is particularly desirable for the production of high superiority, luxury items. The finest merino quality produces wool which can hold its own against cashmere. For us, the end product is always the fabric, so we ensure only the best fibres are chosen.
Discover our wool fabrics
Mohair
The ultimate Mohair fibres from South Africa.
The size of the fibre is fairly average; indeed, the most highly prized quality – Summer Super Kid Mohair – which comes from the first summer shearing of young goats bred in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, is about 26 microns.
In order to improve its feel and uniformity, mohair is chiefly woven as a blend with extrafine Merino wool through a technique that dictates that at least one of the components of the fabric must be solid black. There are two possibilities: the “English way” involving a denser fabric with a weft of black-dyed mohair in order to achieve a fabric with very good drape, that is dry, crisp and smooth. On the contrary, the “Italian way” prefers a more lightweight, bright and light-coloured mohair that must be woven on a black warp in order to produce fabrics with a softer feel, a brighter sheen and a pleasingly irregular appearance.
Mohair is a natural fibre from the fleece of the Angora goat. It is endowed with prized technical and aesthetic properties such as thermal insulation, crease-resistance and sheen. Mohair is traditionally processed in blends with extrafine wools, and is well suited to the production of high-quality summer fabrics that are cool to wear and ideal for humid climates.
Once known as the “diamond fibre”, mohair has endured throughout the changing centuries and fashions, retaining its subtle elegance and discreet luxuriousness. Originally bred in Türkiye from the 16th century onwards, the “Ankara” goats (now known as Angora goats) produce a slightly-curled fleece; the surface of each hair has flat scales with a rounded edge that reflect more light than other animal fibres, giving mohair fabrics their inimitable lustre.
Discover our wool and mohair fabrics
Cashmere
The best Cashmere from Alashan region.
Cashmere is made from the hair of a breed of hardy goats mainly from central Asia. Their hair is smooth, very soft and silky, and cashmere is much sought after by the textile industry. Vitale Barberis Canonico selects only the purest underdown fibres from China for its fabrics.
The goats are hardy and resistant to temperature fluctuations. They are of medium size, weighing between 40 – 60 kg with an open fleece of long, relatively coarse hair, whilst the underdown, extremely highly valued and much sought after by the textile industry, is smooth, very soft and almost silky. The highest quality is generally white, although brown, grey or reddish-brown tendencies also exist.
In the selection of the raw material, Vitale Barberis Canonico looks for the fibres with the lowest coarse hair content and only selects the so-called “white per white” cashmere, which can be used even for lighter colour fabrics.
The cashmere with the best lengths and finenesses can only be found in China, so Vitale Barberis Canonico chooses the best duvet for its collection in the Alashan region, where an average diameter of 15.1 microns (from 11-18 microns) can be achieved to fulfil demands regarding technical requirements, colour and hand.