Felt and its price

Felt is a costly material and at the same time it is THE material used by poor people in countries that are traditionally felt producers. So how can this be?

Well, this paradox can be easily explained by the fact that the shepherds who used to make felt, owned the raw material. The wool was theirs and they did not have to pay for it. It is the wool which is a pure and noble material and thus expensive.
Like in any other product in wool, there is need for a lot of raw material in order to produce felt. So when you really come to think of it, the cost of felt is quite normal.

On the other hand, since more than ten years now, there is this very cheap synthetic so called "felt" in 100% polyester that has invaded the market. This textile is not a none-woven, is not felt and so has none of the technical features of woolen felt that I have been explaining in the 5 videos on my blog.

It is exactly as if we where to compare the price of a pull-over in acrylic with another one in cashmere...

Photo credits : Bernard Taboureau

Liens

January, 08 2017

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