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Cashmere and shatnez

Question:

Is cashmere wool that cannot be mixed with linen?

Answer:

Cashmere is wool that comes from goats, and technically it wouldn’t be an issue of shatnez. However, according to experts in the shatnez field such as Rav Yaakov Gurwitz of “Mishmeret Nosson” Shatnez Laboratories in Yerushalayim, a cashmere coat still has to be checked for shatnez. The3 reason is because sheep wool is much cheaper than cashmere and mohair and companies almost always blend them together. For advertising purposes, they often write ALL CASHMERE or ALL MOHAIR in big letters, but write “with wool” (in small letters) to fool consumers — but it is usually mostly sheep wool and is shatnez!
“Even if it would be a 100% cashmere coat, (which, by the way, costs over $2000) it still needs checking because labels never include the ingredients of internal components which could be both wool and/or linen that are not botul!!
“The consensus among the rabbonim in the vaad shatnez both here and in chutz L’aaretz is to tell people that cashmere, mohair, alpaca (camel) and angora (rabbit or goat) wool does require checking as this advice prevents mistakes.

Best Wishes

Sources:

Rabbi Kaganoff

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