Alan suspects he was the first person in the United States wearing this cloth. He recalls seeing it for the first time in the mid 1990s at the Biella fabric show, held in the lavish Villa d’Este in Como, Italy. It was a Zegna cloth, and after the show, Alan walked up and asked if he could have the sample length they’d been showing. They said yes, and he had them made into trousers he immediately wore several days in a row.
The cashmere provides not only a sumptuous handle (something showcased by corduroy’s velvety weave), but an especially soft drape — unlike traditional cotton corduroy, which for all its virtues, can start off a bit boardy before it’s broken in. Trousers made of this cloth put luxury right where you want it — right next to your skin. It isn’t as precious as it feels, however, and retains classic corduroy’s durability.
Over the years we’ve made up cotton and cashmere corduroy into countless trousers, sportcoats, and even dinner jackets. The key to its appeal is the subtle way the cashmere elevates what was originally a worker’s cloth into something chic without compromising its unpretentious, knockabout charm.
