Mohair & Alpaca Knitwear for Custom Knitwear

Mohair or alpaca directions can create a distinctive fuzzy handfeel, but shedding, care and cost implications should be discussed before confirmation.

For brands making animal-welfare or traceability claims to consumers or retailers, yes — RWS is currently the most defensible third-party chain-of-custody standard, and the Transaction Certificate trail is what lets you back up a claim if challenged. For brands that are quietly buying non-mulesed wool without making the claim publicly, a clean National Wool Declaration or grower attestation may be enough. The premium for RWS over comparable non-certified merino is typically modest at yarn level (often 10-20 percent), and most of the cost lives in the documentation work rather than the fiber itself. Buy the certification you intend to use commercially.

Require two documents on every shipment: a mill spec sheet from the spinner stating fiber origin, average fiber length, and average fiber diameter; and an independent third-party test report from Intertek, SGS, Bureau Veritas or equivalent covering fiber content and average fiber diameter (micron). Tests should reference your PO number. Pull retention samples at incoming QC and weigh them against tech-pack target weight. For ongoing programs, occasionally send a retention sample to a different lab than the supplier uses. The cost of testing per shipment is small compared to the cost of a returns wave from sub-grade goods reaching customers.

Only if the traceability story matters to your customer. Supima is a licensed trademark with a documented chain from US grower to finished garment, which is genuinely useful for brands making a Made-in-USA-fiber or full-traceability claim. The fiber itself is excellent but not categorically superior to top-grade Peruvian Pima or genuine Giza Egyptian, both of which usually quote 15-25% cheaper at the yarn level. If you don't need the trademark on the hangtag, ask your mill to quote combed Peruvian Pima as a value alternative for the same hand and luster.

On direct landed cost, yes — acrylic yarn at $4-6/kg FOB versus wool at $9-14/kg drives a real $3-7 FOB delta per sweater that is hard to erase with finishing. The harder question is total lifetime cost. If you sell acrylic into a premium channel where the consumer expects wool, return rates and review scores can eat the savings within one season. If you sell it into a value channel where the consumer expects price and washability, acrylic is straightforwardly cheaper end-to-end. The decision is channel-driven, not just cost-driven.

Decide on pure vs cashmere-blend, set quality grade and ply, request lab dips and a sample, and verify fibre content. We offer cashmere-blend programmes.