Book excerpt: Although none of the luxury fibres, including silk, is produced in large quantities, their particular and unique qualities of fineness, softness, warmth and pleasurable handle mean that they occupy a very important place in the luxury apparel and fine furnishing trades.This book covers all aspects of the growth, physical characteristics, production, marketing and consumption of silk, mohair, cashmere, camelhair, Alpaca, Llama, Vicuna, Guanaco, Yak and Musk Ox fibres. The image of these fabrics is of course all important and the book describes in detail those rare occasions when a lower priced and lower quality version of a luxury fibre has damaged its overall reputation. Some natural fibres covered here including spider silk are also increasingly finding applications within the technical textiles sector where their high performance thermal properties and bio-mimetic qualities in particular, are very useful.This is an essential reference for all those involved in any part of the luxury fibre trade. - Covers all aspects of the growth, physical characteristics, production, marketing and consumption of silk, mohair, cashmere, camelhair, Alpaca, Llama, Vicuna, Guanaco, Yak and Musk Ox fibres - Describes the rare occasions when a lower priced and lower quality version of a luxury fibre has damaged its overall reputation