Ballantyne Cashmere was founded in 1921 in a small Scottish town called Innerleithen in the Borders region.
A prestigious and legendary brand which has always used natural fibres of the best possible quality, selecting its cashmere yarns in far-off regions of China and Inner Mongolia. Here, where the winters are very cold, goats protect themselves using their soft and warm fleece: cashmere.
The meticulous care that goes into the selection of raw materials has remained a hallmark of Ballantyne throughout its history.
Experience and craftsmanship turn every Ballantyne garment into a unique item. The various production steps are key to this process, with the human hand playing a fundamental role.
The cashmere is dyed in many bright colours before it is spun and the colours selected and dyed for Ballantyne are exclusive to the brand, guaranteeing the absolute uniqueness of every Ballantyne garment. Such exclusiveness is underlined on every single label with the writing: “This is an original Ballantyne”.
The garment then undergoes a special “greasing” phase, during which the yarn is oiled to increase its resistance during the spinning phase.
Ballantyne uses the 2/28,000 count for one-yarn garments and the 4/28,000 count for two-yarn items: both stand out for their elasticity and soft texture.
Once it is finished, the cashmere garment is washed in pure water. Manual washing times, different for each garment and inspired by a crafting tradition that has been passed down over the decades, open up the fibres and give every Ballantyne garment a unique texture and softness, strengthening colours and making them more resistant.
The production technique used to manufacture handmade intarsia is highly distinctive and has been in use since the 1930’s: the precious “hand made intarsia” diamond patterns were commonly known as “Ballantynes” and remain a distinctive symbol of the brand today.
Nowadays, the traditional handmade intarsia processing in the “Diamond” or “Argyle” designs is maintained and developed in new and exclusive colour combinations.
One of Ballantyne’s strengthsis its research into colours and its wide range of exclusive hues, not only in products with intarsia works, but also in plain colours and Jacquard geometries.
The same care and colour research goes into the cotton garments in the spring/summer collections: in fact, the same tones and shades used for the cashmere garments are also available in cotton. It is impossible to resist the temptation of matching a cashmere cardigan with a cotton polo shirt…in the same colour or perfectly matching shades!
Finally, the quality of a Ballantyne garment can be recognized in the perfection of its details: the handmade darning process for collars and cuffs is unique.
Though Scottish in origin, Ballantyne boasts an international attitude: it is appreciated worldwide by customers who recognize the value of tradition and identify the Ballantyne brand with top quality and prestige.
Over the years, Ballantyne knitwear has been admired and worn by many famous celebrities. From Steve Mc Queen, a great lover of the brand, to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who used to purchase an array of Ballantyne double-yarn Twin Sets in pastel colours from Berk in Madison Avenue every spring, which she later wore during long horse rides. Queen Elizabeth also visited the Scottish plant for the first time on 1st July 1966.
