# Haircloth

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**Haircloth** is commonly understood as a stiff, unsupple fabric made from coarse fibre from [camelids](/source/Camelidae), [bovines](/source/Bovinae), [horses](/source/Horse), [goats](/source/Goat), [rabbits](/source/Rabbit), [hares](/source/Hare) and [reindeers](/source/Reindeer).[1] However, a softer variation is valued in the textile and fashion industries for their rarity, aesthetics and comfort. This is because there are two types of hair used in making haircloth; a rougher outer “guard coat”, and a softer undercoat.[2] The outer coats are used in coarse fabrics, often applied to [upholstery](/source/Upholstery), [carpets](/source/Carpet), underskirts and [hairshirts](/source/Hairshirt), or [cilices](/source/Cilice), while "luxury fabrics" use the softer undercoat.[2]

## Description

Haircloth is [woven](/source/Woven_fabric) or [knitted](/source/Knitting) with fibres of uncommon animal varieties, including the following:

1. [Mohair](/source/Mohair) from the [Angora goat](/source/Angora_goat), originating from [Turkey](/source/Turkey).[1][2]
1. [Cashmere](/source/Cashmere_wool) comes from the Himalayan [cashmere goat](/source/Cashmere_goat) of Central and Southwestern Asia.[1] It is mostly produced in China, and is a popular Scottish knitting yarn.[1] [Cashmere](/source/Cashmere_wool) from the Indian sub-continent is referred to as Pashmina.[2] The fibres of Pashmina come from [Changthangi](/source/Changthangi) goats of [Jammu](/source/Jammu) and [Kashmir](/source/Kashmir), in [Leh](/source/Leh) and [Ladakh](/source/Ladakh).[2]
1. Cashgora, a mix of [Cashmere](/source/Cashmere_wool) and [Angora](/source/Angora_wool) fibres, produced mainly in [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand).[1]
1. [Pygora](/source/Pygora_goat), a mix of the [Pygmy](/source/American_Pygmy) and [Angora](/source/Angora_goat) goat, raised for [hand-spinning](/source/Hand_spinning) in Dalla, [Canada](/source/Canada).[1]
1. Angora silk comes from the [Angora rabbit](/source/Angora_rabbit), also known as "silk Rabbits", from [Ankara](/source/Ankara), [Turkey](/source/Turkey). It is farmed in [France](/source/France), [England](/source/England), [Germany](/source/Germany) and [China](/source/China) for its hair.[3]
1. Common Goat hair produced mainly in [Greece](/source/Greece) and [Argentina](/source/Argentina).[1]
1. [Reindeer](/source/Reindeer) hair from Scandinavia,[1]
1. [Chiengora](/source/Chiengora), or [dog hair](/source/Dog_hair) is being explored as an alternative fibre for sustainable fashion.[1][4][5] However, due to inefficient procurement and production methods, the fibre has yet to be adopted industrially.[4][5]
1. [Vicuña](/source/Vicu%C3%B1a_wool) comes from the fur of a [South American](/source/South_America) [Camelid](/source/Camelidae), the [vicuña](/source/Vicu%C3%B1a). It’s fibre is soft and insulating but short and difficult to procure.[1] It's rarity is reflected in the price of its [wool](/source/Wool) and [yarn](/source/Yarn).

Other sources of hair for "haircloth" include bovines; namely, [Yak](/source/Yak), produced in [Manchuria](/source/Manchuria), [Nepal](/source/Nepal) and [India](/source/India), [Bison](/source/Bison), [Musk Ox](/source/Muskox)— also known by its [Inuit](/source/Inuit) name "[qiviut](/source/Qiviut)".[1] Camelids which are farmed for their hair include [Guanaco](/source/Guanaco), [Llama](/source/Llama) and [Alpacca](/source/Alpaca) and [camels](/source/Camel).[1] Such hair fibres show a convergence in chemical composition, namely in the presence of [α-keratin](/source/Alpha-keratin) proteins and [amino acids](/source/Amino_acid), among which [Cashmere](/source/Cashmere_wool), [wool](/source/Wool) and [Mohair](/source/Mohair) are most similar.[6] Climatic differences and nutrient availability in the habitats of each source animal defines minute differences in the chemical structure of their hair.[6] These structures define the quality of the resulting fibres’ much desired lustre and downiness.[1]

## Uses

Textiles from horse-tail hair are used in [upholstery](/source/Upholstery) fabric, light hairs being reserved for dyes and black being used as is for their distinctive natural hue.[7] Hair cloth has also been used in the panels of men's suit jackets.[8] The wearing of haircloth was often also associated with the poverty and religious ascetism.[9][10] There are suggestions that woven tent coverings of black goat hair were used in the 1st century C.E. in [Cilicium, Turkey](/source/Cilicium,_Turkey).[9] Human hair has been woven in fabrics of [ancestral worship](/source/Veneration_of_the_dead)[11] and, as [woven](/source/Woven_fabric) mats, suggested as possible solutions to [water pollution](/source/Water_pollution). However, it has also been used to dehumanise communities in times of war. During the [Holocaust](/source/The_Holocaust) of [World War II](/source/World_War_II), the hair of [Polish Jews](/source/History_of_the_Jews_in_Poland) in [Auschwitz](/source/Auschwitz_concentration_camp) were used by the [SS](/source/Schutzstaffel) in the manufacture of coarse fabrics.[12]

### Suit construction

In [tailoring](/source/Tailor) applications, haircloth is woven using cotton [warp](/source/Warp_and_weft) and horsehair [weft](/source/Warp_and_weft).[13] In traditional suit construction, haircloth is used to stiffen the front panels in men's suit jackets, and [Savile Row tailors](/source/Savile_Row_tailoring) still make bespoke suits this way.[14] However, in modern suits, haircloth is often replaced with synthetic fabrics.[15]

### Horse hair veils

Horse hair veils, known as *[burqa](/source/Burqa)*, were worn by women from the Persian Gulf in the late 19th century.[16] This fashion trend then spread among the women of [Afghanistan](/source/Afghanistan) through wives of the upper-classes.[17] A similar fashion is seen in [Istanbul](/source/Istanbul), [Turkey](/source/Turkey), *peche* and *lisam* of the 16th century, and the *[yashmak](/source/Yashmak)* of the 17th and 18th are also made of [horsehair](/source/Horsehair).[17] Literary works and illustrations recorded as early as the 12th century reveal a longer tradition of this haircloth veil culture in [Iran](/source/Iran).[17]

### Hair-skirts

Hair-skirts are undergarments worn as support under dresses and skirts by exploiting the stiffness of haircloth. [Horsehair](/source/Horsehair) underskirts, known as *Mamigun*, or *[Maweiqun](/source/Maweiqun)*, were worn by entertainers, military officials, upper class and civil servants in [Ming Dynasty China](/source/Ming_dynasty).[18] This is attributed to the influences of a shared cultural sphere between [Joseon Korea](/source/Joseon) and [Jiangnan](/source/Jiangnan_Province) established through lesser known trade routes.[18] "Hair cloth" also referred to [crinolines](/source/Crinoline), or "crinoline cloth", in mid 19th century [Europe](/source/Europe) as it was woven with linen to add volume and shape to ladies' skirts.[7] A smaller, lesser known version of this known as the [tournoure](/source/Bustle), or a "crinolette", used in the 1880s, was occasionally also made of stiff haircloth.[19]

### Horse-hair sieves

In [Scandinavia](/source/Scandinavia), [central Europe](/source/Central_Europe) and [Asia](/source/Asia), horsehair sieves were crafted by common folk of [Sweden](/source/Sweden), [Slovenia](/source/Slovenia) and [Japan](/source/Japan). In [Škofja Loka](/source/%C5%A0kofja_Loka), this was exported to the rest of [Continental Europe](/source/Continental_Europe), [Africa](/source/Africa) and [Asia minor](/source/Anatolia).[20] When the sieve trade saw a gradual decline in the late 19th century, horse fibres began to be used instead in [tapestries](/source/Tapestry).[20] In [Japan](/source/Japan), hydrated horsehair [sieves](/source/Sieve) are used to sift [paste](/source/Paste_(food)) in traditional cooking. It is labelled loosely today as *nori-koshi* (“paste filter”), but is most often known as *koshiki (漉し器*) or *uragoshi* (*裏漉し*), with many names depending on the region in question.[21]

### Haircloth mats

In 19th century [Northern England](/source/Northern_England), haircloth was employed in the drying of [malt](/source/Malt) for [brewing](/source/Brewing) in place of [perforated metals](/source/Perforated_metal) which would scorch the [grain](/source/Grain).[22] It would be spread over the [kiln](/source/Kiln) floor to keep [grain](/source/Grain) from dropping down into the furnace.[22]

The rugs of the [Darxad](/source/Darkhan-Uul_Province) people of [Northern Mongolia](/source/Outer_Mongolia) are an exception which use goathair despite difficulties in processing the fibre. This is likely due to influences of the neighbouring Turkic [Oirad](/source/Oirats) group.[23] Hair is woven into thick threads which are then [braided](/source/Braid) into blankets due to the insulating properties provided by the coarse knotting resulting from its manufacturing process.[23] Another type of haircloth is the sack-like [woven](/source/Woven_fabric) cloth from camel hair, “Ba. örmög”, traditionally used for rice sacks.[23] However, the production method for these cloths have been largely forgotten.

### Hairshirts, religion and devotion

The roughness of coarse hair textiles often associated it with devotion, and religious [ascetism](/source/Asceticism). In European [Christian](/source/Christians) tradition, a [cilice](/source/Cilice) of haircloth was worn as a show of [penitence](/source/Penitence).[24] The textile was also used as [banners](/source/Banner), [altar covers](/source/Altar_covers) and [girdles](/source/Girdle).[24] Worn as an undergarment closest to the skin, it appears in some French medieval literature as embodied garments of sexuality and romantic devotion.[25] The rough was used as [bedspreads](/source/Bedding) as a show of devotion in [Gaul](/source/Gaul) between the 5th and 9th centuries.[26]

## History and archeology

Haircloth has been made and used since prehistory. Woven cloths, especially from goat, camel and horse fibres have been found in archeological sites around the world dating from the 8th century B.C.E. to the 15th century C.E..

### Paracas textiles

Elaborate, brightly woven tapestries of vicuña, llama, human hair textiles were found at the Cavernas archeological dig-site of [Paracas](/source/Paracas_culture), Peru, in 1925, by [Julio C. Tello](/source/Julio_C._Tello).[11] These haircloths are believed to be devotional artefacts [carbon dated](/source/Radiocarbon_dating) to approximately 200 B.C. E to 100C.E..[11] They belonged from an agrarian community who partook in [ancestral worship](/source/Veneration_of_the_dead), dubbed the Paracas community.[11] They were used to wrap the bodies of the deceased community, most of whom are presumed to be priests or leaders of the commune.[11]

### Europe

[Goat](/source/Goat) and [mustelid](/source/Mustelidae) hair was common in [Medieval England](/source/England_in_the_Middle_Ages). A woollen [twill](/source/Twill) dating to the late 12th century and one cloth and four [pile-woven](/source/Knotted-pile_carpet) mats of coarse goat hair, dating to the 15th and 13th centuries respectively, were found at [medieval](/source/Middle_Ages) riverside embankments at Billingsgate Lorry Park, along the [Lower Thames Street](/source/Thames_Street,_London) in 1982 and 1983.[27]

In [Hallsatt](/source/Hallstatt_culture), [Germany](/source/Germany), belts of braided horsehair and wool have been found at an [early Iron Age](/source/Iron_Age) site, [La Tène](/source/La_T%C3%A8ne_culture). This belt was woven ensure flexibility along its length, but rigidity along its width.[28] In [Skrydstrup](/source/Skrydstrup_Woman), Denmark, a horse-hair net was found on a woman in a tree coffin from the 8th century BCE.[28] In [Hochdorf](/source/Hochdorf,_Lucerne), [Switzerland](/source/Switzerland), soft [badger](/source/Badger) hair was used for a chieftain’s overcoat, found in a grave dating to the 5th century BCE.[28]

## Process

### Procurement

Depending on the source and location of production, methods of procurement would differ. Goathair is often simply [sheared](/source/Shearing_(textiles)) or trimmed like [wool](/source/Wool). [Reindeer](/source/Reindeer) hair can be sheared, but is also produced in the processing of the animal's fur.[1] Haircloth making procedures are similar to those of [wool](/source/Wool).[1] [Chiengora](/source/Chiengora) can be obtained from pet salons post-grooming.[4][5] The longer, stiffer guard coat is then separated from the softer undercoat by a process known as de-hairing.[5]

### Spinning

The thread is made if necessary before the cloth is produced by [weaving](/source/Weaving), [braiding](/source/Braid) or [knitting](/source/Knitting). However, the smoothness of fibres cause difficulties in [spinning](/source/Spinning_(textiles)) processes or hair threads. To circumvent this, hairs are often mixed with other materials,[1][23] or spun into thicker threads and yarns as in [medieval London](/source/Norman_and_medieval_London), resulting in a coarser texture.[29] In [Europe](/source/Europe) spinning was done with hooked shuttles, and in areas such as [Mongolia](/source/Mongolia) and [Arabia](/source/Arabian_Peninsula), it is done by hand and spindle.[27] The Arab [Bedouin](/source/Bedouin) women spin threads by hand, turning the [spindle](/source/Spindle_(textiles)) in one arm, while the other rolls the hair against their thigh to make a [yarn](/source/Yarn).[27]

### Production

In [Europe](/source/Europe), [damask](/source/Damask) cloth is made by threading the hairs into their warp with a hooked [shuttle](/source/Shuttle_(weaving)) on a [loom](/source/Loom).[7] Hairs used in weaving, if not first processed into [yarn](/source/Yarn), tend to be shorter than required, and often require extensions by knotting and adding an [adhesive](/source/Adhesive) to create a continuous [weft](/source/Warp_and_weft).[7][30] In [Medieval London](/source/Norman_and_medieval_London), the weaving and extending was often done by the weaver and his assistant respectively.[7] Meanwhile, [Mongolian](/source/Mongolia) haircloth can be [braided](/source/Braid) with Kh.zoos širees, or “coin table”, where each thread is weighted equally by [Chinese coppers](/source/Huachuanqian) to prevent warping of braids.[23] Sometimes certain threads are more lightly weighted to create an intentional warping.[23] The *[Da.danz](/source/Da.danz)* is made by alternating [weft](/source/Warp_and_weft) threads on a circular warp, wound around a board from which the finished work will hang.[23]

## References

1. Lakshmanan, Ammayappan; Jose, Seiko; Chakraborty, Sujay (2016). "Luxury Hair Fibers for Fashion Industry". *Sustainable Fibres for Fashion Industry*. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. pp. 1–38. [doi:10.1007/978-981-10-0522-0_1](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0522-0_1). ISBN 978-981-10-0520-6.

1. Ryder, Michael L. (1993). ["The use of goat hair : an introductory historical review"](https://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/en/periodiques/anthropozoologica/17/l-utilisation-du-poil-de-chevre-examen-historique-preliminaire). *Anthropozoologica*. **17**: 38.

1. Hunter, L. (2020). "Mohair, cashmere and other animal hair fibres". *Handbook of Natural Fibres*. pp. 279–383. [doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-818398-4.00012-8](https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818398-4.00012-8). ISBN 978-0-12-818398-4.

1. Bloomberg, David Ramli / (2023-11-01). ["How Dog Hair Is Making a Resurgence as a Sustainable Textile"](https://time.com/6330351/dog-hair-sustainable-textile-fabric/). *TIME*. Retrieved 2024-09-22.

1. Greer, Janna Suzanne (8 April 2003). [*Evaluation of Non-Traditional Animal Fibers for Use in Textile Products*](http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.16/1991)[page needed]

1. McGregor, Bruce A. (2018). "Physical, chemical, and tensile properties of cashmere, mohair, alpaca, and other rare animal fibers". *Handbook of Properties of Textile and Technical Fibres*. pp. 105–136. [doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-101272-7.00004-3](https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-101272-7.00004-3). ISBN 978-0-08-101272-7.

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1. Tarlo, Emma (2017). *Entanglement: the secret lives of hair*. Paperback ed. London: Oneworld. ISBN 978-1-78074-993-8.

1. ["The use of goat hair : an introductory historical review"](https://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/en/periodiques/anthropozoologica/17/l-utilisation-du-poil-de-chevre-examen-historique-preliminaire). *Anthropozoologica*. **17**: 40. 1993.

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1. ["Horse hair sieves – Gorenjski muzej"](https://www.gorenjski-muzej.si/razstave-in-dogodki/zbirke/sita-iz-konjske-zime/?lang=en). *Gorenjski Muzej*. Retrieved 2024-09-22.

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1. engineer.), Thomas Martin (civil (1813). [*The circle of the mechanical arts*](https://books.google.com/books?id=6_oGAAAAQAAJ&dq=haircloth+barley&pg=PA86)

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1. Crowfoot, Elisabeth; Pritchard, Frances; Staniland, Kay (2006). [*Textiles and Clothing, C.1150-c.1450*](https://books.google.com/books?id=CY-8T59wHHUC&q=hair%5D&pg=PP15). Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-239-3.

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1. Ekstedt Bjersing, Marie (20 September 2023). "Horsehair weaving for sievewrights: Documentation of an ongoing craft project". *FormAkademisk*. **16** (4). [doi:10.7577/formakademisk.5477](https://doi.org/10.7577/formakademisk.5477)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Haircloth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haircloth) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haircloth?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.