Albas Cashmere, from Otog Banner of Ordos city in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has been successfully registered as a geographical indication trademark, becoming the first in the banner to do so.
That's according to a recent statement from the China National Intellectual Property Administration.
A geographical indication trademark serves as a symbolic "business card" for a region, representing its distinctive agricultural products.
This cashmere gets its fiber from white Albas goats, and it is known for its length, strength, lightweight, and excellent luster. It possesses good plasticity, earning it the reputation of being a "fiber gem" in the high-end woolen textiles sector.
The high-quality raw cashmere produced by Albas goats is not only the main material for the well-known domestic cashmere brand "Erdos", but is also one of the premium raw materials that are eagerly sought after by world-renowned luxury brands such as Hermès and Louis Vuitton. The market demand for cashmere has remained stable over the years.
Currently, Otog is home to approximately 2 million Albas goats, with an annual production of 1,200 metric tons of raw cashmere. This generates an output value of 350 million yuan ($47.95 million), and accounts for about one-seventh of the entire volume in Inner Mongolia.