Learn more:

What is Chyangra?
Chyangra are the type of goats found in the higher Himalayan hills.
The hair of the Chyangra goat is that of the highest quality and the most luxurious, producing luxury and elegant cashmere scarves.
The yarn for Franci cashmere scarves comes from the hair of the Chyangra goats of Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia and China.

Are the Chyangra goats harmed when collecting the hair?
No, the goats are not harmed.
The hair fibres are collected from the goats during the Spring season which relieves them of the excess in readiness for the warmer months.
The long outer hair is cut back allowing access to the fine hair beneath, which is removed using a wire comb.

How pure is the fibre used for Scarves by FRANCI cashmere scarves?
The Chyangra fibre used for Franci cashmere scarves is 97% pure which under the Nepal Pashmina Industries Association (NPIA) guidelines is maintained as pure cashmere and as long as the weft and the weave of the scarf are the same yarn it is classified as pure.

What is Chyangra Hallmark?
The Chyangra Hallmark is a trademark of the NPIA.

Why have the Chyangra Hallmark?
The hallmark is your reassurance of luxury, quality and is a genuine Chyangra cashmere product of Nepal.
The hallmark reassures you the cashmere scarf is made from the finest inner hair of the unique Chyangra goat.
The hallmark authenticates stringent quality standards, is environment friendly and absolutely no child labour involved.

Why are there 2 Chyangra Hallmark labels?
There are two Chyangra hallmark labels. One is black and one is white.
The black label guarantees the cashmere scarf is made using a minimum of 51% Chyangra yarn cashmere with the remaining 49% blended with merino wool or silk.
The white label guarantees the cashmere scarf is made using 100% Chyangra yarn cashmere.

Do Scarves by FRANCI bear the Chyangra hallmark?
Yes, all our Cashmere Collections have the white Chyangra label attached, authenticating they are 100% cashmere.

Are Scarves by FRANCI made using a power loom?
No, all our scarves are handmade using the traditional old style wooden hand looms by artisans.

Are any chemicals used in the making of Scarves by FRANCI scarves?
No chemicals are used in the making of our scarves.
If you buy a cashmere scarf that is classified as superfine, it is likely the scarf has been made using the assistance of a chemical.
This is because the yarn count of superfine cashmere scarf is likely to be 2/200. This yarn is far too fine to weft and weave and so the yarn starts to break. In order to use this very fine yarn, poly vinyl alcohol (PVA), a plastic, is used to assist in the wefting and weaving. This is washed out once the scarf is woven. The PVA dissolves into the water and you are left with a superfine cashmere scarf.
The finest yarn count used for a Franci cashmere scarf is 2/100 which means the yarn does not break and so there is no need for the assistance of the chemicals PVA to be used.

Are the dyes used to colour the scarves containing any toxicity?
No, all dyes used are Swiss produced and do not contain AZO’s.

What are AZO dyes?
AZO dyes are toxic and are known to be harmful.
AZO dyes are predominantly used in textile, leather goods and also some food industries.

What ethics do Scarves by Franci work to?
Franci is dedicated and endeavouring to make a positive social and environmental impact.
Franci is working to the sustainability and empowerment of communities by ensuring the artisans are paid fairly for their work.
In so doing the artisans are able to prosper and sustain their livelihoods. This further ensures the continuance of their craft for future generations.
Our environmental objectives are to limit further negative impact by recycling and re-using wherever possible.

Is your packaging ethically made as well?
Yes as far as possible, Franci packaging is made using recycled paper.
Where recycled paper cannot be used new paper from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), sustainable forestry, is used.
The Franci gift box is made using both recycled and FSC paper, whilst our tissue paper and paper wrap is made from recycled paper.

Are any Scarves by FRANCI packaged in plastic?
Franci scarves are packaged in plastic bags when transported from Nepal.
This is to avoid any damage whilst in transit.
However, these same plastic bags are returned to the artisans either via post or taken back physically when visiting Nepal, to be re-used.
New Franci cashmere scarves are packed in these same bags.

What are the wash care instructions?
Scarves by FRANCI are to be dry cleaned.