BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TODD & DUNCAN'S

The Kinross firm has launched a collection of accessories and soft furnishings knitted from its own fine cashmere yarns

- Judy Diamond

Scottish cashmere is reputed to be among the very best you can get, but what makes it so special? After all, most of the world’s cashmere starts off from the same place – the fine, soft hair of goats tended by nomadic herdsmen in Mongolia. But it’s the many decades of expertise and the exceptional care that’s taken with those precious fibres that produces something truly remarkable at Scottish textile mills.

Todd & Duncan is one such mill. It has been around for more than a hundred years, quietly spinning the finest cashmere yarn and supplying it to some of the world’s most revered fashion houses. It has recently launched a new brand, Todd & Duncan 1867, offering knitted pieces – scarves, gloves, socks, blankets and cushion covers – in a glorious spectrum of colours, all made from yarn produced using the same time-honoured processes.

“It’s all about quality throughout the manufacturing process, and we oversee all stages of this – starting from the fibre, moving into the yarn, and then into knitting,” explains sales director Bruce Cameron. “We work with a very exacting fibre specification, and our pieces are knitted with what is known as the ‘Scottish handle’, an expression that describes the result of a tighter tension to create a denser fabric – a bit like the thread count on sheets. It means we use more cashmere yarn per piece, increasing durability and longevity and resulting in exceptional quality.”