Becoming Baker Miller Pink

When I first met Ronnie Lamb, cashmere expert extraordinaire, I was at my wit’s end trying to figure out how to create a sustainable supply chain for cashmere. By sustainable I mean:

• happy goats grazing on happy land

• fairly paid herders

• 100% cashmere with no polyester

• high quality cashmere that won’t pill (…much – I mean all cashmere pills a bit but ours is designed not to)

• fairly treated, skilled factory knitters

• clean, honest factories

• local everything wherever possible

• really nice sweaters

• really reasonable prices

• really nice people (this was very important – I’ve honestly had my fill of working with ego maniacs)

When I first met Ronnie Lamb, it seemed to me that nothing felt reliable. If you know who (that v famous brand that does AMAZING cashmere) can get caught out with supply chain issues – well you may as well give up and go back to bed.
I suspect it wasn't entirely their fault it went awry; you think you’ve got it all lined up, then someone comes along and discovers a little, tiny loophole through which to crawl to save money. By loopholes I mean, the corners cut by manufacturers, when they’re trying to maximise profits. For cashmere knitwear, the best-loved loopholes are:

• secretly outsourcing manufacture to a cheaper, uncertified factory.

• cheap fibre from multiple unspecified sources, which underpays the herders and encourages them to increase the size of the herd size, leading to overgrazing and soil erosion.

• cheap yarn spun in non-certified factories - resulting in jumpers that will pill and lose their shape quickly.

• cheap manufacture in non-certified factories – paying low salaries and demanding long hours ie the fast fashion model.

• blending cashmere with synthetic fibres (which renders it unrecyclable) and a bit crap.

• playing with gauge and tension – so each sweater contains LESS cashmere. 

When you buy a cashmere sweater – some or all of the above may be involved – and not just with high street brands either – many of the top cashmere brands will sacrifice ethics and quality to save on margin.

So, Ronnie Lamb told me about his colleague, Mr Qin and his business partners, all based in Inner Mongolia. He said they knew the secret to a sustainable supply chain, no loopholes. I had to meet him.

Mr Qin has been a knitwear manufacturer for twenty-five years. He can measure microns with his bare eyes and spot a rogue polyester thread at fifty yards.

His expertise in all aspects of supply chain management has morphed his business into a vertically integrated model. He knows about grass, goats, herders, combing, dehairing, spinning, knitting, finishing and packing the world’s most fabulous knitwear into neat parcels to send around the world. His relationship with the biggest and best, Ordos-located cashmere manufacturer is based on mutual respect and common ground – all parties realise that the long-term stability of their business relies on the continued protection of the grasslands and their luxury livestock. Between them, Mr Qin and his partners have a sustainable supply chain.

Meanwhile, Ronnie has worked as a consultant for Mr Qin for ten years, acting as a go-between for American and British brands, advising on whatever he’s asked to advise on – whether that’s how to create a solid high-street cashmere sweater, or where to source the rarest fibres for the sheerest woven fabrics. And along the way, Ronnie has also learned everything anyone could possibly want to know about cashmere.

Ronnie says, even with his fifty-ish years of cashmere experience, he is blown away by how Mr Qin and his partners can combine heritage skills with cutting-edge science and technology to enhance its cashmere production, while at the same time, protecting Inner Mongolia’s goats, land and people, and guaranteeing a squeaky clean supply chain.

Here's the specifics…

Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of China, high in the north, right next door to Outer Mongolia. It has a long history of cashmere production and contributes 40% of the world’s total cashmere output.

The climate helps. Extremely cold temperatures in winter encourage the goats to grow a soft undercoat which, when warmer Spring weather begins, is combed out and sent for manufacture. Mr Qin and his partners work with local herders, and their strict guidelines ensure that only fibres that are long and fine enough are used to make the Grade A yarn. Special hessian sacks are sent to the herders to collect the top quality fibre and transport it to the spinners.

Not all cashmere produced in Inner Mongolia is responsibly made, ensuring ethical treatment of animals, the environment and people. Wherever there is someone trying to good, there is someone else trying cash in. However, not in the case of Mr Qin.

Ronnie and I asked Mr Qin for the finest quality cashmere that came from local suppliers. He told us about three different herders who lived locally and recommended that we visit them. All three herders produce Grade A cashmere – that’s 14-15.5 microns with a length of 34-36m – the highest grade that is the softest, the lightest and the most hard-wearing.

The first herders we met were part of an Eco Ranch, set in the vast empty grasslands of Ordos. The Eco Ranch is an homage to all things cashmere but behind laboratory doors, engineering technicians and scientists work on environmental initiatives to maintain the environmental balance of the prairie, as well as research into medications to ensure the goats’ welfare.

Principally, the Eco Ranch covers:

• Rotational grazing to allow grassland recovery.

• Digitised health, feeding, breeding, lineage and fibre yield records for each goat.

• Breeding management of Arbas goats – which produce white fibre that’s easy to dye (without bleach)

• Feed management during winter.

• Water management, especially during winter.

• Preventative veterinary care.

• Land and pen roaming standards

The idea of the Eco Ranch is that the work done there translates to best practice for herders supplying fibre.

The second herder introduced us to his family; his wife, two daughters and son, who each wore their official herders uniform with pride. Goats are part of everyday life and no one is exempt from helping out, although one seemed keener to ride his bike (no names). We were invited into their home, given tea and local (very meaty) dishes. They described a simple way of life that dated back through generations, and they explained how crucial it is to take care of the goats and maintain a healthy diet. Goats that don’t roam the grasslands for exercise and nourishing grass don’t produce a high quality coat. Goats that aren’t cared for in pens, especially in the winter, won’t survive the cold temperatures. The herder described how he and his family comb the goats gently, on platforms that minimise the stress for the goats. It’s in no one’s interests to give them anxiety.

Mr Qin and partners buy most of the cashmere in the region, paying over the odds for supply-verified, high-quality fibre. The herders all benefit from the improved research and development conducted on the Eco Ranch. It’s a collaborative approach – a win, win, win for Mr Qin, the herders and the goats. Oh and us.

The final group of herders were the most advanced and organised. Nearly 5000 goats lived there, each tagged and belonging to a particular herd. The herders monitor the health of each goat digitally, displaying the data on screens beside each pen and ensuring the correct feed and preventative medicines are administered at the right times, each day. Knowing how anxious goats can be, music is piped throughout the ranch – the sort of music that you drift off to in a spa. Even the goat dip experience, designed to gently disinfect the goats, looked more like a relaxing fun park ride. Never have goats looked more smiley. The winter feed is grown alongside the goats during the summer, then mixed with medication and stored in a vast barn.

These herders have pushed the development of responsible business practices in Inner Mongolia in order to maintain a tranquil and happy life for the goats and herders in the naturally balanced grasslands. It’s the right thing to do. It’s also the most conducive way to continuing creating the world’s best cashmere.

The knitwear factories where we are making Baker Miller Pink are found in Ordos City. Mr Qin and his partners own separate factories in Ordos and around the world, all certified, but share factory facilities when required – using particular machines for specific jobs when necessary.

The factories are either already certified or awaiting certification (which can take up to 2 years). They are measured on their waste (including water, gas and solid waste) and clean energy. Pollutants are avoided – for example all dyes come from a specialised manufacturer in Switzerland in order to meet compliance rules. The Baker Miller Pink factories are well-known for their social and environmental responsible business practices. And with the yarn we have selected, the specialised knitting techniques created to extend the life of our garments, and the dedication to creating recyclable cashmere, we believe we have developed a solid foundation for a sustainable, circular supply chain. 

And with Ronnie Lamb working side-by-side with Mr Qin, on the ground in Inner Mongolia, we can monitor the progress of our manufacture at all times.

Let the magic begin.