Its beautiful landscape varies depending in which part of the country you are. High mountains, lakes, forests and Gobi desert breathtakingly blend with its nomads peacefully grazing their animals, horses, camels, sheep, goats and cows, in the wide open spaces.

Mongolia’s nomadic lifestyle has not been influenced much despite Russian control for over 70 years right before democracy, which began in 1990. A strong Russian influence to change its culture began in 1921 destroying over 700 monasteries and killing thousands monks and intelligent Mongolians.

Democracy arrived in the early 1990’s helped to slowly recover what people lost during communism. Today Mongolia is progressively changing under a free market economy and absorbing many of new developments of globalization.

Mongolia has so much natural resources, minerals and gems stones, which our ancestors have not touched. In a Market economy where everyone chases after money the country’s natural resources are the target for making money and selfishness and greediness of private businessmen to use for their personal benefit does not help the economy to grow but negatively impacts on nature and environment. Private companies and hand mining of desperate people destroy land, rivers and trees due to lack of consciousness and commitment to invest back into nature.

The strongest religion in Mongolia is Buddhism; it was introduced in 1300 century by Chingis Khaan’s grandson Kublai Khan. A highly intelligent King who invited a senior ranking monk from Tibet to gain spiritual guidance while he was ruling the Mongolian dynasty from Beijing. Since then Buddhism has played a significant role in the country and people, from generation to generation it was carried solemnly as a part of daily life and culture.

Soldiers who had previously invaded countries on horseback with weapons in hand totally changed in order to bring peace in earth and became monks with beads in their hand, trying to restore peace by enlightening people’s minds free from suffering.

Buddhism which forcibly died down during socialism under Russian control has quickly revived since democracy took place. The temples have been restored and new ones built and the number of Buddhist practitioners increased. Births, deaths, weddings, starting new business, lunar year celebration, etc in fact every event involves religion and rituals, which are becoming more of a necessity to ensure proper practicing of religion. Mongolia does not discriminate over the people’s right to choose their faith and religion and there are all kinds of religion exist, but 90% of population practices Buddhism.

A political stability and tolerance towards other religions and less violence between ethnic groups compared to some other nations is a reflection of the Buddhist philosophy to love every human being equally.

Rural areas are least inflicted in any external change, therefore they carry the values of culture and religion which xisted hundreds of years ago. Slow reaction to the modern society is related to remoteness, small population and underdevelopment of infrastructure. The contrast between city life and countryside is becoming increasingly apparent, it is not clear to anyone yet what kind of future lies there with the migration of rural inhabitants to the capital city of Mongolia, where people seek for jobs, better education and medical service.

CocoonU was inspired by the combination of lifestyle and beliefs of the nomadic herders who live in Outer Mongolia. Their simplistic, mutually supportive life has given us the opportunity to create the most stunning collection of 100% cashmere knitted and woven throws, cushion covers and blankets, using sustainable, eco and ethical practices.

View our cashmere collections at www.cocoonu.com

At 1,564,116 square kilometres, Outer Mongolia is the nineteenth largest, and the least densely populated independent country in the world. The country contains very little arable land as much of its area is covered by arid and unproductive steppes with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Approximately thirty percent of the country’s 2.8 million people are nomadic or semi-nomadic. The predominant religion in Outer Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism, and the majority of the state’s citizens are of the Mongol ethnicity, though Buriats, Kazakhs and Tuvans also live in the country, especially in the west. About 38% of the population lives in Ulan Bator.

CocoonU Cashmere Socks

The Mongolian heartland consists of relatively flat steppes. The southern portion of the country is taken up by the Gobi Desert, while the northern and western portions are mountainous. The highest point in Outer Mongolia is the Khuiten in the Tavan bogd massif in the far west at 4,374 m (14,350 feet). The basin of the lake Uvs Nuur, shared with Tuva Republic in Russia, is a natural World Heritage Site.

Most of the country is hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter, with January averages dropping as low as -30°C (-22°F). The country is also subject to occasional harsh climatic conditions known as zud. Ulaanbaatar has the coldest average temperature of any national capital in the world.

Landscape

Outer Mongolia is high, cold, and windy. It has an extreme continental climate with long, cold winters and short summers, during which most of its annual precipitation falls. The country averages 257 cloudless days a year, and it is usually at the centre of a region of high atmospheric pressure. Precipitation is highest in the north (average of 20 to 35 centimetres per year) and lowest in the south, which receives 10 to 20 centimetres annually. The extreme south is the Gobi, some regions of which receive no precipitation at all in most years.

The name “Gobi” is a Mongol term for a desert steppe, which usually refers to a category of arid rangeland with insufficient vegetation to support marmots but with enough to support camels. Mongols distinguish Gobi from desert proper, although the distinction is not always apparent to outsiders unfamiliar with the Mongolian landscape. Gobi rangelands are fragile and are easily destroyed by overgrazing, which results in expansion of the true desert, a stony waste where not even Bactrian camels can survive.

Cashmere is characterized by its luxuriously soft fibres. In order for a natural goat fibre to be considered Cashmere, it must be under 18.5 micrometers in diameter and be at least 3.175 centimetres long. It is noted as providing natural light-weight insulation without bulk. Fibres are highly adaptable and are easily constructed into fine or thick yarns, and light to heavy-weight fabrics.

The fibres used by CocoonU are 14-15.5 microns thick and up to 5cm long – this makes them exceptionally soft and also less prone to pilling than shorter thicker fibres.

CocoonU Cashmere Collection

Cashmere is appropriate for all climates; high moisture content allows insulation properties to change with the relative humidity in the air. It is a misconception that the finest fibres are harvested from the neck and belly of the goat as these are generally the dirtiest part of the animal and most subject to collecting debris. The finest fibres are gathered from the saddle of the Cashmere goat; most of the cashmere comes off of the sides and back of the goat’s body from the shoulder to the rump. If the goat is shorn, the fibre must be “de-haired” to remove the coarse, unusable guard hair. Sometimes the fine fibres are collected by combing the goat; either method is time consuming and tedious, thus the high cost of cashmere.

CocoonU only use combed cashmere.

China is the worlds largest cashmere producer, with Mongolia second. Mongolia is 112 places higher up the human rights league table than China. Unions are legal in Mongolia – there is a minimum wage and no known human rights abuses.

Many suppliers of cashmere claim that they source from Mongolia – on closer examination they mean Inner Mongolia which is a region of China – with sweat shops and human rights issues. CocoonU is one of the few companies sourcing from Outer Mongolia. This adds to our costs but also ensures exceptional quality.

Source of the fibre

The Cashmere (Kashmir) or goat down is the source of the wool that becomes cashmere fibre for clothing and other textile articles. The goat (Capra hircus Laniger) is a mammal belonging to the subfamily Caprinae of the family Bovidae. The goats produce a double fleece consisting of the fine, soft undercoat or under-own of hair commingled with a straighter and much coarser outer coating of hair called guard hair. In order for the fine under down to be sold and processed further, it must first be de-haired. De-hairing is a mechanical process that separates the coarse hairs from the fine hair and after de-hairing the resulting “cashmere” is ready to be dyed to colour and converted into yarn, fabrics and garments.

CocoonU 100% cashmere pashmina in black

CocoonU combines exceptional quality and classic designs, using only the very best raw materials, created by temperatures of minus 50 degrees. Sourcing our cashmere from Outer Mongolia leaves the owner of these beautiful products with a clear conscience and only the only lightest footprint on the planet. The collection ranges from interiors, knitwear and accessories to luxury corporate gifts and bespoke designs. Cashmere is a true investment which will repay you year after year.

CocoonU fairtrade ethical and ecofriendly jewellery

CocoonU’s stunning new jewellery collection offers a mixture of colourful, handcrafted pieces from designers across the globe.

Created from the highest quality raw, natural materials, each item has a unique texture and glamour, adding an individual elegant edge to any outfit.