Cashmere, one of the world’s lightest, softest and warmest fabrics, has long been venerated by discerning buyers. While yak wool and cashmere share similar properties in terms of softness, warmth and breathability, yak down fibres are very short, making it difficult to obtain strong, smooth fine yarn.
Dr Xu Bin-gang and his team at the Institute of Textiles and Clothing overcame this drawback by developing a new spinning method, using a multi-level spinning triangle to alter the fibre arrangement in yak yarn. This enables more fibre to be evenly and firmly incorporated into the yarn body, improving its strength, hairiness and evenness. Simple modifications can also be made to existing spinning machines to produce yak wool at low cost.
This innovation won a gold medal at the 45th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva in March 2017.