Luxury fibres explained – Camel hair

Camel hair is a popular fabric choice for tailored overcoats and sports coats because it is soft, durable, and has a natural insulating properties, making it ideal for outerwear. We consider it one of the most luxurious fabrics available, both in terms of look and feel.

Another benefit of camel hair is its softness and comfort. The fibers of camel hair are much finer and softer than those of other types of wool (e.g. sheep or goat wool), making it an extremely comfortable and luxurious fabric to wear. Camel hair is also known for its durability and resistance to pilling (in contrary to what you might think). It actually makes it possible to wear more frequently and may be subject to wear and tear in a different way than say cashmere, which is a very delicate fabric. We never recommend our clients to over-use any fabric however, how ever stable it might be.

Camel hair also has natural insulating properties, which make it a good choice for outerwear like an overcoat. In fact, camel hair has a unique structure that traps air between the fibers, providing warmth without adding excess weight to the garment. This makes it a suitable fabric for garments like overcoats and sports coats, worn in colder weather or as an outer layer when transitioning into winter for example.

Highlights of Camel hair;

• Unmatched, luxurious look and feel
• High quality and versatile for usage in sports coats and overcoats
• Soft and durable
• Unique insulating properties
• Can be used in extended periods through early fall, through winter and early spring

When speaking about the color scheme of camel hair, naturally, the first color that comes to mind is ‘camel’. This is in fact also the most common one, although the camel hair fibre can be found in a range of colors from light beige, taupe/grey to dark and reddish brown all the way to (almost) black. Since the fibre is generally dyed unbleached, the natural color scheme of the fibre is kept intact for the most part and the result is a beautiful, uniform color.

Baby camel hair is a fine, soft, and lustrous fiber that is obtained from the undercoat of young camels. It is considered one of few ‘luxury fibers’ that can be mentioned alongside Baby cashmere, and Vicuña. It is a very rare and sought after fibre and naturally we only use it for the very best, high-end custom made clothing. It has an incredible softness to it that creates a truly unique experience to wear, compared to other fabrics. There is no mass production involved in the process of obtaining the fibre (as with none of the fabrics we use) and therefore the animals (in this case the camels) are extremely well taken care of.

As mentioned, camel hair is a versatile fabric that can be used for a range of tailored looks. The main feature in terms of style is that the structured fabric gives you a casual, understated luxury look and feel. This means it goes well both in formal looks as well as a more casual approach to tailored garments.

A great combination for a casual approach on a camel hair blazer for example, is to wear it with a crisp white button-down shirt, a cashmere sweater and a pair of custom made denims. A camel hair blazer, due to it’s insulating properties, also serves as a great second (our outerwear) layer for early days of fall or spring.

While we love the casual approach to a camel hair blazer, it can just as easily be dressed up and worn to create an immaculate luxury look. Pair it with an off white dress trouser, a dress shirt or a silk and cashmere sweater and a suede loafer for a beautiful, understated luxury look.

As for other products, the camel hair is of course also perfect to use in tailored outerwear, especially our Urban Sports Coat. We also love to mix the exclusivity of the camel hair fibre with a more casual approach, which is why we created our shirt jacket in baby camel hair.

To summarize, the camel hair works really well for a range of products and situations;

• A great fabric both for casual and more refined, formal tailored looks.
• Works well for casual jackets, sports blazers and shirt jacket, yet also outerwear and formal overcoats.