The Mohair Suit by Duchamp Autumn 2011
Lots of suits are sharp, but the sharpest suits always contain mohair. A great favourite among the best-dressed Mods of the 1960s, mohair suits not only look immaculate, but they perform exceptionally well.
Produced from the remarkable hair of the Angora goat, mohair is used to make light cloths with a lustre that puts an unmistakeable and attractive sheen on the surface.
Mohair has a soft and silky texture, it takes dye very well, and owing to the rigid nature of the goat hair, the cloth can be tailored superbly, like a heavier cloth would, despite its lightweight nature. For this autumn, Duchamp has added 16% mohair to fine wool in a brilliant cloth woven at the Vitale Barberis mill in Biella, Italy. Blending mohair and wool together results in lightweight cloths that resist creasing and continue to look good through a hard day’s wear. In fact, a good mohair-rich suit would be a perfect choice for a two- or three-day business trip.
The unique characteristics of mohair are derived from the Angora goat’s hair, which is formed of keratin, a type of protein. Mohair manages to be cool in summer and warm in winter. The cross-section is slightly elliptical compared to the somewhat rounder wool. Viewed under a microscope, the goat’s hair has larger, flatter, thinner scales than sheep’s wool, which accounts for mohair’s light-reflective qualities and its slightly slippery, silk-like “touch”. It is elastic (that is, it stretches and recovers naturally) and its tensile strength is noticeably stronger than that of merino wool, which is why it resists creases so well. In its natural state mohair is white but, given the fibre’s ability to absorb dye so well, cloths containing mohair often are noted for their vivid saturated colours.
One of the oldest textile fibres, mohair has been used for menswear since before the days of the pharaohs. In contrast to the knife-edge tailoring mohair cloth produces, the goat’s hair hangs in locks and ringlets – think of a Rasta poodle and you are along the right lines. The softest, finest hair from young goat kids is used in clothing; tougher hair from older goats goes into upholstery and carpets.
Today mohair is rightly regarded as a luxury fibre. Many bespoke tailors recommend mohair for wedding suits when a groom needs to look good all day. Duchamp has a gorgeous suit that contains 27% mohair and 79% fine wool that is perfect for a wedding. For many sophisticated men, mohair is the first choice for black tie eveningwear because of its glossy sheen and its ability to resist creases. At Duchamp, however, we love mohair for daytime as well as special occasions. The characteristic sheen or glossy surface contrasts attractively with our crisp cotton shirts, with the rich texture of our woven silk ties and our frothy pochettes. Very handsome!
The word mohair is derived from an Arabic word for a “haircloth”. The Angora goat takes its name from the Ankara province in Turkey that was one of the main sources of mohair until the middle of the 19th century. The main producers of the goat’s hair today are South Africa, the USA (mainly Texas) and Australia.
One very important point: mohair from Angora goats is very different from the angora wool used for girls’ fluffy jumpers – that’s from angora rabbits and it won’t be seen in a Duchamp collection any time soon.