Loro Piana gathered herders and collectors at the Brant Foundation in New York on November 10, 2026, to present the eleventh edition of its Cashmere of the Year Award. The annual prize marks the finest fiber harvested during the 2025 season in Inner Mongolia, China. First place went to Mr. Siqingbilige and Mrs. Hasiqiqige, who yielded 135.8 kilograms of washed cashmere measuring 12.89 microns in diameter.
The measurement establishes a record within the history of the competition. Since the house introduced the award in 2015, the recorded diameter of winning entries has dropped steadily year after year. The winning herders receive a per-kilogram financial reward alongside a silver comb modeled on the traditional tools used to harvest the underdown of the goats during the spring moult.
Two additional herding couples placed closely behind the winners. Mr. Jiyatu and Mrs. Gegentuya secured the second prize with 87.1 kilograms of fiber measuring 13.01 microns. Third place went to Mr. Lifuqiang and Mrs. Qiqi, who submitted 116 kilograms measuring 13.04 microns. In luxury manufacturing, fractional reductions at this scale dictate the softness, weight, and thermal response of the finished yarn.
The Loro Piana Method and Long-Term Sourcing
Parent company LVMH and Loro Piana structure these awards as an extension of agricultural field operations initiated in 2009. That framework, formalised as The Loro Piana Method, introduced selective breeding guidelines and flock management protocols designed to support the Alashan goat population. The goal has been steady improvement in fiber diameter alongside the preservation of pasture land across the grasslands.
In 2025, the brand expanded this infrastructure by partnering with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The joint program, named Resilient Threads, targets herding communities directly. It funds ecological monitoring and biodiversity protection across the northern grazing basins, counteracting soil erosion caused by weather shifts and overgrazing.