A real Orenburg shawl is first and foremost fine, soft and silky. The down hair of our Orenburg goats is reputed to be the finest in the world, at 14-16 micrometres thick.

8. The largest shawl – 3.6 by 3.6 meters – was created at a factory in Orenburg in 2013, and took 13.5 km (8.5 miles) of cashmere yarn to make.

The trade in goat fur began around 250 years ago. By the middle of the 18th century, downy merchandise from Orenburg had attracted the attention of researchers, as well as the new inhabitants of ...