What is the difference between ordinary animal hair and downy fiber?  What are the outstanding features of camel downy fiber?

Our ancestors found that some animals have soft, thin under-fiber which are quite unique; they called this special under-fiber “Rong” in Chinese, to distinguish it from the common hair (‘Mao’ in Chinese ).  Rong” (the under-fiber) and “Mao” (the common hair) are totally different.  Modern research shows that common hair, “Mao”, is a myelinated fiber;  its stem is solid.  By constrast, “Rong” (the hollow fiber, or “downy fiber”) is an unmyelinated fiber.   Its hollow (porous )stems store air, and are very warm and moisture-proof.   The specific gravity of “rong” -  downy fiber -  is much lighter than hair; this thin fiber and rounded scale gives it its very soft-touch feature.   Chemical fibers available on today’s market,  such as the popular seven-hollow fiber,  are artificial copies of the natural “Rong” fiber’s structure.   Some wild animals, such as Polar bears and Tibetan antelopes, produce “Rong”, as do some domesticated animals, such as goats, camels and dogs.,  On the other hand, many domesticated animal species, such as sheep, alpaca and cattle, do not produce “Rong” at all.

Why is “Alashan(Alxa) fine baby camel downy fiber” so unique?

There are two kinds of camel in the world:  dromedaries, and Bactrian camels. Dromedaries, which live in deserts in Africa, the Middle East and Australia, have hair that is very short due to the hot temperatures and geographical conditions, so their hair has almost no textile value.   On the other hand, Bactrian camels mainly live in northern desert areas such as China’s Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Gansu and the Southern part of Mongolia.   Bactrian camels are only 10% of the global camel population.   Bactrian camels have thick hair around their bodies; there is a layer of long, thin and soft fiber at the bottom of their hair, called downy fiber which is an extremely rare and precious textile material.

Bactrian camels experience deplumation (loss of hair) every summer.  Once the raw material has been collected, a refined and complicated dehairing technique is needed in order to isolate and protect the camel downy fiber.  There are dozens of production processes,  which filter out the coarse hair - especially the heterotypical hair - from the raw material.   Our processes not only increase the downy fiber rate, but also protect the length of fiber from being broken.  This goal, of keeping the fiber’s  maximum length, is the essential key of dehairing and filtration.  The dehaired camel downy fiber is very fine;  the higher downy fiber rate and the longer the length, the better the overall quality of the dehaired camel downy fiber.

Though the number of Bactrian camels is small, they range over vast areas with dramatically different climates and environments.   The quality of camel downy fiber also varies with location.  To identify good quality is relatively simple:  basically one must check the color, fineness, length and the downy fiber rate. If there is no regular hair, and no odor, and the camel downy fiber has a nice touch and a bright color, then it is of top quality.  Sometimes poor carding technique makes the fiber shorter with a lot of coarse hair gives people a mistaken impression of camel downy fiber.  In contrast, Alxa’s camel downy fiber is famous for its extraordinary fineness, long length, and bright apricot color. The dehaired baby camel downy fiber is the most precious textile material and the masterwork of Alxa.

Alashan Yulian T.M.Co Ltd has been active in camel dehairing and fiber processing for fifteen years.  We observe the highest quality standards in raw material purchasing, sorting, washing, carding and each production process;  we have overcome dozens of technical difficulties in order to keep our dehaired downy camel fiber over 40mm in length and 17u in fineness with 99.8% downy fiber ratings. Due to this milestone technique in dehairing and filtration, the National Fiber Testing Bureau issued a 100% downy fiber certificate to Alashan Yulian T.M.Co.Ltd for the first time in China; this takes our camel downy fiber into the high-end textile market with a guarantee.  Only Alashan Yulian T.M.Co.Ltd holds this “super fine dehaired camel downy fiber" quality standard patent in China.

Why is camel downy fiber a rare and outstanding stuffing material for quilts?

Due to the low proportion of animals which have downy fiber(Rong), and the complex dehairing procedure needed, people who work with these materials refer to goat and camel downy fiber as “rare animal fiber” or “special animal fiber”.  Compare the global annual raw material production of sheep wool – 2 million tons, to that of goat downy fiber - 15,000 tons.  Camel downy fiber is even more rare, with only 1000 tons produced annually. This combination of luxury and scarcity has led people to call goat and camel downy fiber “the soft gold”, and also explains why they are extremely expensive.

Many people are familiar with cashmere because of its use in sweaters; China’s best-known cashmere sweater brands are Erdos, King Deer and Tianshan.  Cashmere’s tense scale structure has good cohesion, it is easily colored and has a bright color effect; these properties make cashmere the top quality material of sweater manufacturing. People like cashmere due to its color variety, light, softness and warmth. One cashmere sweater may only weigh 250 grams, (8.78 ounces – about half a pound) but its price could reach around 3000 yuan(USD450 or even higher).

The scale structure of camel downy fiber is looser, with poorer cohesion, hence the performance of sweaters made of it has not compared favorably with cashmere.  This is why we can not often see camel downy fiber sweater products on the market.  However, this unique fiber is very fluffy as a stuffing material for quilts.  When they compare with cashmere, sheep wool and silk, people find camel downy fiber has the best stretch and non-breaking performance, which allows it better durability. The anti-acid, anti-alkali and anti-oxidizing properties of camel downy fiber are better than those of the other materials, so that it will not easily be oxidized; thus, camel downy fiber does not break down even after many years of use.  These unique features make it outstanding in quilts:  non-sticking, fluffy and warm; good air-storage for insulation; breathable; excellent moisture protection; light specific gravity, soft, stays on the body comfortably and without heaviness.  It is also highly durable, with a lifetime that can last for decades.

Why are camel hair(wool) well known, while camel downy fiber are not?

During the last 30 years, China’s precious camel downy fiber resources were all exported to Europe, Japan, U.S and other developed countries. Therefore, there is only camel hair (wool) mixed with chemical fiber products available in the Chinese domestic market.  Although camel hair(wool) is warm and popular,  after all, it is still the leftover of dehaired camel downy fiber; they are totally different.  

Camel hair(wool) and camel downy fiber are not the same in nature or in properties, quality, price or fiber structure,  just like the difference between sheep wool and cashmere. As China’s standard of living has improved dramatically, people have been increasing their expectations for sleeping comfort and health.  Our “Helan Mountain” super fine baby camel downy fiber quilt, produced from the finest “ecological”  fiber materials, is an outstanding product in the domestic textile market.