Style inspiration

Sustainable nearly new cashmere

Sustainable nearly new cashmere. Cashmere is by far my favourite fabric for a cosy winter jumper or cardigan. I have several beautiful ones that I have had for many years. If you look after them and wash them carefully and protect them from the pesky moths they are one of the hardest-wearing fabrics you can buy. However good quality cashmere is becoming increasingly expensive and the cheaper ones can be a bit flimsy. So what is the answer Nearly New Cashmere. A sustainable cashmere brand founded by Ali in 2014 whose mission is to recycle old cashmere and give it new life.

With a small team, Ali focuses on rescuing discarded cashmere which is then reconditioned or repaired if necessary and sold through her shop. As you can imagine, every piece is different. The average price of each item is about £40 – £50 with some special styles costing a little more. There’s plenty of stock for women, men and children; you can shop by colour, style or size and every item is photographed on an appropriately sized woman from their local village in Yorkshire so you can get a really good idea of how it would look on you.

In the photos above and below I am wearing a black cashmere cardigan with a flattering waterfall front. As all the styles are one-offs it is a bit of a lucky dip. There is a wide range available from boyfriend to polo neck and even sleeveless and tees.

There are also some fabulous recycled cashmere accessories. I really fancy a pair of their fingerless gloves. I have a pair already, which I bought in Paris a few years ago. They are very useful for keeping my hands warm and I can still use my mobile phone. Their neck warmers are also great and would make excellent presents.

Sustainable nearly new cashmere:

Their mission is to rescue, repair and restore. They also offer a cashmere repair service and sell moth protection bags to store your precious cashmere out of season. I am definitely going to order a couple of these.

Chicatanyage

I write a fashion and beauty blog for women over 50 with the aim of inspiring mature women to continue to enjoy and have fun with their fashion choices. I have spent most of my working life in some way connected to fashion. I started my career in Fashion PR and then trained as an Image Consultant when my children were young. I subsequently worked in the corporate world running seminars, doing private coaching and speaking at conferences. I started my blog in 2009 as I wanted to share my years of experience working in the world of fashion. I truly believe we can continue to have confidence in the way we present ourselves. Our style may evolve with time and changing lifestyles, yet with a little knowledge and inspiration, we can all continue to have fun with fashion. As women of a certain age we are a growing demographic let us prove that we can also be a chic one.

View Comments

  • What a wonderful. Idea Ali has. And your article reminding us to better care for the cashmere we have.! Thank you

  • Thank you so much for this post, Josephine! I've just ordered some protection bags and will be using the repair service and keeping my eye on items for sale.

  • I have a couple of long cashmere cardigan sweaters that were very expensive at one time....only problem is the shoulders are a drop shoulder and makes me wonder if I should wear them still. The idea of storage bags certainly gives one something to think about purchasing. Great scouting Josephine to find both repair and storage.

    • Hello Margie
      You could try putting some shoulder pads in which might lift the drop shoulders. They are quite cheap so worth a try.

  • I bought my first jumper from them a couple of weeks ago. It’s a gorgeous wisteria coloured crew neck. The condition is excellent. It’s much less risky than buying pre-loved on eBay where you risk getting something that has been shrunk in the wash.

  • I love the range of Nearly New Cashmere and would like to make a purchase. Unfortunately, I cannot find anywhere on their site sizing information. 'Large' could mean anything!

    • Hi Kris
      If you click on the image of the style you like they do give the bust and length measurement They don't have a sizing guide as each item is individual.

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