# Loro Piana Celebrates Mongolian Herdsmen at 11th Annual Cashmere Award Luxury brand honors top-tier fiber producers at an exclusive New York gala event. - **Source:** [Vogue](https://www.vogue.com) - **Published:** 2026-11-11 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/a8e559c4-d203-4c08-9517-122394702d83 ## Honoring Raw Material Excellence Loro Piana hosted its 11th annual Cashmere Award at The Brant Foundation in New York. The event shifted focus from typical luxury product launches to celebrate Mongolian farmers. These herdsmen provide the high-quality fibers essential for the brand’s signature clothing, highlighting the critical role of raw material sourcing in luxury. ## Recognizing Top Fiber Producers The competition identified the finest cashmere lots based on fiber length and fineness. The winning duo, Mr. Siqingbilige and Mrs. Hasiqiqige, took first place among the participants. Pier Luigi Loro Piana noted that out of 10 million kilos of sheared fiber, only the best 100 kilos are selected for this honor. ## The Baby Cashmere Innovation Deputy chairman Pier Luigi Loro Piana is credited with introducing baby goat cashmere in 2008. He spent years convincing herdsmen to separate the 3% of finer baby fiber from older goats. This specialized process increased the value of the product, providing greater economic stability for the local Mongolian farming population. ## Star-Studded Industry Gathering The gala attracted a diverse group of loyalists, including Huma Abedin, Jeff Koons, and Jessica Springsteen. The presence of legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen added a notable cultural touch to the evening. Guests engaged with an exhibition designed to showcase the tactile beauty and labor-intensive nature of the brand's supply chain. ## Aspirational Brand Identity Actor Jeremy Strong attended the event, reflecting on his long-standing relationship with the brand. He shared a formative memory of seeing a stylish man in Italy wearing Loro Piana, which cemented the label as an aspirational symbol. Strong praised the brand for maintaining human-centric craftsmanship in an increasingly mechanized, digital world. ## Immersive Exhibition Experience The exhibition featured rooms filled with voluminous, floating strands of raw cashmere fiber. The display was so tactile that guests were frequently assisted by staff using lint brushes to remove stray fibers. This attention to detail underscored the brand's commitment to presenting their materials as both art and luxury commodity. ## Future Collection Plans CEO Frédéric Arnault announced a significant shift for the winning fibers collected over the past 11 years. The company plans to produce a small, exclusive collection using these specific award-winning materials. This move transforms the competition from a purely recognition-based event into a tangible product development initiative for the brand. ## Preserving Traditional Craftsmanship The event highlighted the tension between modern mechanical reproduction and traditional hand-worked luxury. By focusing on the sweat equity of Mongolian herdsmen, Loro Piana reinforces its market position through heritage and quality. This strategy ensures the brand remains distinct by emphasizing the human labor behind its high-end, expensive textile products. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/loro-piana-cashmere-of-the-year-award-2026 — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._