In the textile industry, a variety of factors go into determining the quality of a certain fabric. Douglas Creek Ltd’s latest contribution to the fabric world surpasses many of the market standards for such luxury goods, and aims to usher in a new standard when it comes to creating luxe fabrics.
What is Cervelt?
Cervelt is a fiber made from the under-down of New Zealand deer. Douglas Creek, a de-hairing company based in New Zealand, spent five years perfecting a system that collects and chooses only the finest hairs from each deer’s coat. The result is a scant 40 grams of the fiber that is rarer, finer and more versatile than cashmere or silk.
Production Module
Douglas Creek is now producing commercial quantities of Cervelt and stands to create a highly lucrative business for both itself and the local deer farmers who supply the company.
Arrangements have been made to supply Cervelt to several high-end design houses in Europe and textile manufacturers in Asia, which would then blend the fibers into outerwear and suits.
The Luxury Standard
Cervelt beats the competition with its astonishingly high standards:
- Versatility: Unlike some luxury fibers, Cervelt can be dyed a variety of colors, making it both marketable for buyers and appealing to designers. It is also sold as a pure fiber, allowing it to be spun into fine thread counts and incorporated into a variety of products such as knitwear, outerwear and furnishings.
- Diameter: The diameter of a fiber often plays a large role in determining its price. The diameter is commonly measured in microns, or millionths of a meter. According to Fiber2Fashion, a B2B textile publication, merino wool, a super-soft wool predominantly manufactured in Australia, averages 18 microns in diameter. Cashmere, made from the Cashmere goat, averages 15.5 microns. Cervelt averages 13 microns, easily beating out its competition.
- Cost: As boasted on their website, Douglas Creek’s Cervelt “can rule market prices of tens of thousands of dollars per [kilogram] internationally.” A strong hold on the red deer farming community assures a measure of stability for the company, allowing it to ask the maximum price per kilogram. In other words, Cervelt is 200 times more rare than gold, 3,000 times rarer than cashmere and more than twice as rare as diamonds.
- Comfort: Cervelt is hailed as being a remarkably soft fabric, pairing the sheen of silk with the airiness of cashmere. It breathes well and wicks moisture away from the body, providing a lightweight, clean feel.
Cervelt is poised to domineer the upper echelon of the fiber industry. The right combination of marketing, business savvy and luck will determine the fate of the new face in luxury fabrics and the success of its creator.
Sarah Moore - Sarah Moore is an editor for a fashion trend forecasting firm and a freelance writer living in New York City. Sarah studied at Washington ...
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