How We Produce Luxury Cashmere Knitwear
A disciplined production line from yarn booking to final inspection — built for boutique and luxury brands that value consistency, clarity and long-term quality.
A Calm, Disciplined Line from First Cone to Final Carton
Cashmere production at Kanchan Cashmere is built on rhythm rather than speed. Each season starts with the same foundation: confirmed yarns, clear calendars, realistic MOQs and defined responsibilities at every step of the line. This structure allows us to protect quality while still meeting the commercial timelines of boutique and luxury brands.
Every program follows a fixed path – yarn booking, proto, SMS, pre-production, bulk knitting, linking, washing, finishing, AQL 2.5 inspection and packing. By keeping this line constant, we reduce the risk of hidden shortcuts that can show up months later as returns, claims or damaged brand trust. Instead, we build a stable base that can support small capsules and larger programs with the same calm.
For buyers, this means predictability: the same gauges, the same fit blocks, the same tension discipline and the same care in finishing, order after order. For our internal teams, it means work that is planned and measured, not reactive. When both sides stay within a controlled rhythm, luxury knitwear becomes a reliable, repeatable category rather than a seasonal gamble.
Behind this calm is a clear financial discipline. We match MOQs, knitting hours and yarn commitments to realistic sell-through expectations so that programs are commercially healthy for both sides. A stable production rhythm is not only about quality – it is also about protecting margins, cash flow and long-term partnership value.
Aligning Buyer Calendars with Real Factory Capacity
We begin each season by mapping out capacity: machines by gauge, knitting hours, linking and washing bandwidth, and realistic shipping cut-offs from Kathmandu. Only when this is clear do we confirm calendars with buyers. The goal is simple – never promise a date that is not supported by yarn readiness and floor capacity.
Once programs are agreed, they are placed into a live production calendar that our teams work from each day. This calendar includes yarn arrival dates, proto and SMS windows, PP and TOP deadlines, bulk knitting sequences, planned blocking and washing cycles, and final inspection slots. It is updated as reality shifts – but the baseline structure remains.
Typical development and production flow:
- Swatches & protos: 7–14 working days from yarn readiness, used to lock in fabric behaviour and hand-feel.
- SMS / size sets: 10–18 working days, depending on gauge, construction and detailing.
- Bulk production: generally 30–45 days from PP approval and full yarn availability.
- Final inspection & dispatch: 3–5 days, including documentation and packing checks.
When timelines must tighten, we are transparent about the trade-offs and whether acceleration is genuinely responsible. This protects both the launch date and the integrity of the garments that arrive in your warehouse.
Over time, this discipline creates a seasonal rhythm that buyers can plan around: development windows, order confirmation cut-offs and shipment waves that repeat in a recognisable pattern every year. That rhythm is one of the most valuable assets in luxury production.
Choosing the Right Construction for Each Cashmere Story
The starting point of every style is the yarn. We work with a focused roster of spinners for 100% cashmere, baby cashmere, recycled cashmere and refined blends. Each yarn has its own language – micron, twist, handle, shrinkage, pilling profile – and we match that language to the intended use of the garment.
Our gauge range runs from 3GG–16GG, covering substantial fisherman ribs, compact Milano stitches, breathable pointelles and modern jacquards. For each style, we define the correct gauge, structure and tension standards before knitting begins. This ensures that the finished garment drapes as intended, holds its measurements and can be repeated over multiple seasons without surprises.
Wash tests and shrinkage curves are documented and linked back to yarn lots and constructions. When a buyer returns to a proven block, we can reproduce the same behaviour – or intentionally adjust it – with full understanding of the technical levers involved.
For brands building long-term knitwear stories, this archive of yarn behaviour, tension settings and finishing recipes becomes a strategic asset. It allows us to evolve styles gradually without losing the familiar hand-feel and fit that customers already trust.
Knitting, Linking and Washing as One Connected Line
Inside the factory, cashmere pieces do not move through anonymous departments. Knitting, linking, washing, blocking and light finishing operate as a connected line, with shared responsibility for fit, hand-feel and final appearance.
Knitting technicians work from defined tension charts and approved sample panels. Panel lengths and widths are checked regularly on the machines, especially at the start of each lot, gauge or structure. Any deviations are corrected immediately, not once dozens of panels have been produced.
Linking teams are briefed on the construction logic of each style – shoulder treatment, armhole shape, neck finishing, trim behaviour. This is where garments either feel calm and balanced or awkward and forced. We reinforce key stress points and use appropriate seam constructions for luxury wear, particularly in heavier gauges and outerwear pieces.
Washing follows fixed, documented recipes per yarn and gauge combination. Temperature, time, agitation and detergent level are calibrated to achieve the required bloom without damaging the fibre. Pre-wash and post-wash measurements are taken at multiple size points so that shrinkage remains predictable, season after season.
Throughout this line, we maintain digital records linking each lot to cone numbers, machine IDs and inspection notes. This traceability means that if a question ever arises months later, we can see exactly how that garment moved through the factory – and use that knowledge to refine the next season.
Treating AQL 2.5 as a Daily Working Tool
For us, AQL 2.5 is not a marketing claim. It is the language that knitting, linking, washing, finishing and packing teams share when evaluating every lot and every shipment. The criteria are agreed with buyers and then applied consistently – not just on the final day before dispatch.
Workmanship, measurements, shade continuity, labelling and packing are checked at defined stages in the line. When any recurring deviation appears, we trace it back to the exact step – a tension shift, a linking habit, a wash setting, an incorrect measurement chart – and correct it in process. The objective is to prevent problems, not simply classify them.
Over repeated seasons, this approach builds a quiet form of trust: buyers know that if a style worked well last year, the new run will feel the same in the fitting room and in the customer’s wardrobe. That consistency is the foundation of a serious cashmere category.
What we routinely check under AQL 2.5:
- Panel and garment measurements against agreed size specs.
- Stitch and tension consistency across sizes and colours.
- Shade continuity between body, trims and replenishment lots.
- Seam construction, linking neatness and reinforcement at stress points.
- Labelling accuracy, care instructions and brand presentation.
Eco-Conscious Packing and Documentation Ready for Arrival
Once garments pass final inspection, they move into a packing flow designed for both responsibility and practicality. Our default is simple: recycled or recyclable polybags, FSC-certified cartons and minimal, thoughtful branding that respects the product and the environment.
Cartons are packed by size, colour and style in a way that aligns with your warehouse process. Clear carton markings, packing lists and barcoding (where required) help your receiving team process shipments quickly, reducing the time between arrival and store or e-commerce launch.
Export documentation is prepared with the specific destination in mind – North America, the EU, UK or other markets – and we work with your logistics partners to keep customs clearance as smooth as possible from Kathmandu. The aim is that when cartons arrive, the only surprise is how calm and consistent the knitwear feels straight out of the box.
Alongside commercial documents, we maintain the technical and ethical paperwork that modern luxury buyers require – spinner certificates, composition breakdowns, testing reports where needed. This ensures that your cashmere program is not only beautiful and reliable, but fully aligned with the compliance expectations of your markets.
“Luxury knitwear is not about speed. It is about rhythm — a stable, repeatable production line that protects the fibre, the people and the buyer’s calendar.”
For Boutique & Luxury Brands
Understand Our Production Process in Detail
Kanchan Cashmere’s disciplined production line protects tension, measurements, timelines and finishing quality across every program. Speak with our team to understand how we structure yarn booking, gauge allocation, washing behaviour and delivery planning for your seasonal launches.