After a day's wear, place your suit or jacket on its original hanger or use a wooden hanger with a suitably curved shoulder. Let the garment hang in the open for a while to allow any natural moisture and odours to evaporate before placing it in the wardrobe. This helps prevent musty odours and wrinkles.

Remove everything from the pockets, and try to avoid carrying heavy or bulky items in them. This will help your suit retain its natural shape and prevent pocket bulges.

Treat any stains as soon as possible. Dry marks can often be cleared by gently rubbing with another part of the same fabric. For moist stains, use a dry cloth to blot and absorb as much of the moisture as possible. Quick action can prevent stains from setting.

Use a lint roller or adhesive tape to remove any lint or hair from the fabric. This should be done as soon as you notice any buildup to prevent staining and maintain a clean appearance.

Before storing your suit, give it a gentle brush with a soft clothes brush to remove dust and debris. Brushing also helps raise the fibres of the fabric and prevents shine, especially on high-wear areas like the elbows and seat.

When ironing fine fabrics, use the principle that steam removes creases while drying sets them in. Use a piece of silk or cotton fabric between the iron and your suit to protect it from direct heat. Iron at a low temperature and use steam sparingly.

For certain types of marks on fabrics, you can cautiously apply a damp cloth to gently blot the affected area. Always test in an inconspicuous spot first. Grease, oil, or inks will need a dry cleaner or specialist.

Dry clean your suit sparingly, as the process removes some of the natural oils from the fabric and can lead to wear over time. When you do decide to dry clean, choose your cleaner carefully. An independent cleaner often has more experience with fine-quality garments and can help avoid unnecessary damage. If your suit has mother of pearl buttons, notify your cleaner to avoid unnecessary damage.

If you want to store your suit for an extended period, use a good-quality suit cover to protect it from dust and moths. Ensure that air can circulate within the cover to prevent any mustiness. Prior to storing your suit make sure it has aired for several days to avoid mildew forming.

When traveling in a car, it's advisable to remove your jacket. The combination of body heat, pressure from the car seat, and seat belts can cause creases and shine across the shoulders and lapels. Transport your jacket separately to keep it looking sharp.

Once you've worn your trousers for the day, they may have developed creases. Simply tossing them onto a standard hanger or leaving them in a heap on the floor can exacerbate the creasing when you wear them next. To address this, we recommend using a clamp hanger for your trousers. Hang them from the trouser hems, and here's a handy tip: keep your dress belt attached for added weight, which will help naturally straighten out those creases. Leave them in this state for a few days before returning them to a normal trouser hanger for storing. 

Yes, if cashmere is hung up, it will stretch out of shape. To avoid stretching your cashmere garment, it is wise to remove pullovers and sweaters over the head by pulling at the waist and not the neck.

Yes, if not washed carefully, cashmere will shrink. We recommend hand-washing as the safest way to preserve not just the size, but also the softness of your cashmere. Find out more about how to wash cashmere below.

Pilling is the formation of small balls on the outside of a garment caused by the abrasion of short, loose fibers that have worked their way to the surface of the fabric.

Some pilling is likely to appear in most new clothes. During the spinning and knitting process, there will naturally be some loose or excess fibres, which will cause a little pilling; however, in high-quality garments like ours, this is unlikely to persist after the first wash.

Most commonly, pilling occurs in areas where there’s high friction. For example, underneath your arm where it rubs against your body when walking or moving. This is unavoidable, but it should not be overly noticeable in a densely knitted, good-quality jumper.

Lower-quality garments are produced using the shorter and coarser fibers from the back and legs of the Hircus Goat, and are knitted loosely to make the cashmere used go further.

To make them look similar to their more luxurious counterparts they are often given a large amount of surface fibre which, while it will initially feel as soft as higher-quality cashmere, will roll easily into balls and be the main cause of long-term pilling.

When wearing your luxury cashmere jumper, you can avoid excess pilling by protecting it from areas of day-to-day high friction such as car seatbelts, bag and shoulder straps, and the edges of tables and desks.

Should your Robert Old cashmere begin to require the sort of attention that only experts can provide, you are welcome to return it to us and we will arrange for it to be reconditioned by our manufacturer in Scotland free of charge.

Laundering expensive knitwear is best done by hand. You might expect dry cleaning to be the best method, but in fact it gradually strips cashmere of its natural oils.

Hand-washing may seem like hard work but giving your cashmere the due care and attention it deserves will result in cosy perfection and a garment that only seems to feel softer with every wash.

Step 1

Begin by removing any pilling, especially in high-wear areas like under the arms, using a cashmere comb. This is particularly essential before the first wash to eliminate loose fibers that may have surfaced during initial wear.

If the garment features any leather detailing, such as on buttons or zippers, it's advisable to cover them with cling film to prevent dye transfer.

Turn the garment inside out to protect the outer surface and any delicate features during cleaning.

Wash each Cashmere item separately to prevent colour bleeding.

Step 2

Fill a spotlessly clean sink with lukewarm/tepid water (not hot!).

Add the recommended amount of cashmere shampoo, typically no more than 50ml. If a specialised cashmere shampoo isn't available, you can use 30ml of gentle baby shampoo or a detergent like Woolite or The Laundress Shampoo.

Step 3

Submerge your garment in the soapy water and gently massage it to allow the knitwear to absorb the detergent. Avoid twisting, stretching, or rubbing the cashmere, as this may distort its shape. Use a delicate kneading motion.

Rinse quickly and repeat the process, then soak for 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 4

Rinse the sweater under lukewarm running water to remove excess soap until there's no trace of shampoo when the garment is gently squeezed.

Gently manipulate the Cashmere to remove most of the now-clean water.

Step 5

Wrap your sweater in a large, clean towel and gently press it to allow the towel to absorb excess water from the garment.

Place the sweater on a flat surface, preferably on a fresh towel. Carefully arrange it in its original shape, being cautious not to stretch it, with particular attention to the cuffs and the welted bottom.

Step 6

Lightly roll the sweater inside the same towel and then move it to a warm room or cupboard. Do not line dry, hang in the sun or tumble dry.

Allow up to three days for the sweater to air dry naturally. This will keep the fibers supple and result in the softest possible wear.

Step 7

Once the sweater is dry, lightly press it with a cool iron to restore it to its original condition.

Following these steps will help maintain the quality and softness of your cashmere sweaters for years to come.

When warmer weather means your cashmere clothes aren’t needed, we advise to store them individually in sealable storage bags to protect from possible moth damage.

Specialist garment bags are available for storing cashmere, you can also use large zip-close freezer bags. Freeze the sweaters overnight to kill any potential moth larvae.

Wash your cashmere garments thoroughly before summer storage; moths are particularly attracted to remnants of skin, hair, and food, and perspiration residue provides optimum warmth for larvae to develop.

Ensure that your sweaters are entirely dry before storing them as any dampness may result in the development of mold.

Store your sweaters in a clean, dry place away from any direct sunlight.

During a long storage period, it is recommended that you give your sweaters a periodical shake to dispose of any dust and possible moth eggs.

Cedar balls deter moths with their scent and should be stored outside the bagged garments to protect the storage area from infestation. Other effective products such as sprays are available from specialists.

Before washing your shirt, make sure that you undo all of the buttons to avoid undue strain on the fabric and stitching.

To protect the buttons, turn your shirts inside out before placing them in the washing machine.

For the best and easiest results with fine cotton fabrics, iron your shirts whilst still damp from the washing process. Start with the inside of the collar and then iron the collar points on the front, following that iron the yoke, cuffs and sleeves before ironing the main body of the shirt.