Piacenza Cashmere

When it comes to cashmere the first mill that comes to mind is without a doubt Fratelli Piacenza.

Their heritage and long tradition of innovation runs all the way back to 1733, being in the forefront with importing noble fibres and creating exquisite fabrics.

My first experience with Piacenza was their Alashan Breeze fabric: a summer cloth that is unmatched in every aspect, so needless to say I am always on the lookout to broaden my range of Piacenza fabrics.

I would categorize this fabric, at least with the unlined construction of this jacket, as a transitional fabric. I reckon with lining, the properties of this fabric would lean more towards winter, especially in a climate such as that of Japan. I wear it as a 3 season jacket, ideal under a warm coat in winter and sans coat with a scarf during spring and fall.

As much as I can anecdotally apply properties of different fibres as far as summer fabrics goes, the opposite is true when it comes to winter. Cashmere has the dual benefit of being appropriate both for summer and for winter. What I think is the case here is that the wool and cashmere counterbalances each other, giving the cloth the benefit of both, especially considering the tighter weave. As far as the fairly significant amount of silk goes, I reckon that serves mostly to add elasticity and fineness to the cloth.

I will stop the guessing game and rather iterate my praise for what Piacenza has achieved here. There is something about the mix of fibres that seems so incredibly sophisticated in terms of how well it works for all three seasons.

Furthermore, the touch of the cloth is exquisite. It’s far softer than than the look would have it and it’s an incredibly comfortable fabric to wear.

Continuing on the previously mentioned note regarding me wearing this as a three season jacket, the colour scheme also is a big factor. Stating the obvious first: it looks darker in the winter and brighter in spring. More specifically, because of the balance between blue and dark navy, you can’t really pin the colour on one specific season and furthermore, had it been more breathable fabric, I would easily worn this colour scheme in summer as well.

The second point is that the lighter blue looks more grayish in the dark slumber of winter, making it more than appropriate. While conversely, the azure threads are picked up by the spring sunlight and really changes the over all appearance of the fabric, thus we have a jacket fit for spring.

Photos: My own.

Sketch: Top illustration by Fratelli Piacenza via https://www.piacenza1733.com/en/history/