Featured Artisan: Begg & Company

Makers of the World's Finest Cashmere Scarves

Begg Cashmere

Begg of Ayr, Scotland has long been regarded as the finest maker of woven cashmere scarves anywhere in the world. The history of Begg & Co. is a long and proud one. Established in 1866, the firm continues to weave their products in the time-honored traditional manner. From carefully selecting the best bales at the annual cashmere auction to inspecting each and every product for the smallest defect, Begg continues to stake their rightful claim as the World's Best.

We are proud to be among the select few who are privileged to offer their wares.

Here's a look behind the scenes ...

Teasels are still used by this traditional firm
The Secret's in the Teasels!

Begg Scotland Established 1866

Carefully finishing the Begg cashmere
Cashmere Finishing

What Are Teasels?

The Fuller's Teasel was formerly widely used in textile processing, providing a natural comb for cleaning, aligning and raising the nap on fabrics. The dried flower heads were attached to spindles, wheels, or cylinders, sometimes called teasel frames, to raise the nap on fabrics (that is, to "tease" the fibres).
By the 20th century, teasels had been largely replaced by metal cards, which can be made uniformly and do not require constant replacement as the teasel heads wear. However, more expensive and time-consuming as they may be, the craftsmen at Begg still use teasels for raising the nap. The result is better and is one of the key ingredients resulting in the extraordinarily luxurious finish of the Begg cashmere.

Fringing a Begg Cashmere Scarf
Fringing: Gathering the Groups

Fringing a Begg Cashmere Scarf
Fringing: Wrapping the String

Fringing a Begg Cashmere Scarf
Fringing: Cutting the Scarves

Fringing

The process of fringing Begg cashmere scarves is one still done completely by hand. In the leftmost photo, the fringer is separating the cashmere yarn into small groups, each of which will become one fringe. Then a string is wound around each small group and pulled so as to twist the fibers into a fringe. Once the twist is "set" into the yarns, the fringe is hand cut resulting in a fine, luxurious scarf.

Winding Begg's extraordinary cashmere yarns
Winding the UltraFine Cashmere Yarns

Washing Begg's extraordinary cashmere yarns
Washing the Cashmere Yarns

Weaving Begg cashmere scarves, stoles, and throws
Slowly Weaving the Final Cashmere Products

The Rest of the Story ...

Until you have felt an Arran Cashmere Scarf you will have no concept of how luxurious cashmere can be. What's more, I have a black Arran scarf which I've used for 17 years. Properly cared for, cashmere of this quality will give you the longevity you expect.

For yourself ... or as an indescribably elegant gift for a man or a woman ... this has no equal.