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A byproduct, reimagined

Vegetable Cashmere® is a next-generation fiber crafted from soy byproduct — where elegance meets performance, and beauty begins with purpose.

Created by KD Knit, Vegetable Cashmere® redefines what modern textiles can be. Soft, breathable, and durable, it offers the sensual handfeel of animal cashmere with a lighter environmental footprint and full traceability from field to fiber.

The pillars of conscious luxury

Vegetable Cashmere® enables brands to meet the growing demand for authenticity, innovation and responsibility – without compromising beauty or quality.

Elegance

Fine micron count, natural drape, trans-seasonal wearability, and luxurious hand feel.

Wellness

Naturally antibacterial, breathable and skin-friendly – offering comfort, wellness and beauty through the benefits of soy protein.

Performance

Durable, moisture-managing and machine-washable with outstanding tensile strength and stretch recovery. 

Sustainability

Durable, moisture-managing and machine-washable with outstanding tensile strength and stretch recovery. 

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Why

The Vegetable Cashmere solution

The fashion industry is at a turning point. Vegetable Cashmere® offers a new way forward, blending ethics, elegance, and evidence-backed performance in a fiber designed for the next generation of luxury.

Vegetable Cashmere® is built on intention, bringing together the best of plant-based innovation to meet the needs of modern luxury. This proprietary mix offers the comfort of softness, the beauty of elegant drape, and the confidence of responsible sourcing—while supporting skin wellness and minimizing environmental impact:

Soy-Protein Fiber

Derived from soy protein isolate, a byproduct of soybean oil production; spun into a soft, high performance, plant-based fiber

U.S.-grown Cotton

Naturally breathable and soft, U.S. sourced for quality and traceability

TENCEL™ Lyocell

Responsibly produced by Lenzing from renewable wood sources using a closed-loop process

Together, these ingredients create a biodegradable, breathable textile with a silky hand feel—and a verified sustainability story at every stage.

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What sets us apart

Backed by science, Vegetable Cashmere offers the sensory experience luxury consumers expect, with the responsible story they increasingly demand.

Traceable & transparent

From soybeans to finished fiber, every partner is known and certified. Full supply chain visibility enables sourcing confidence and brand alignment.

Sustainability, verified

Vegetable Cashmere® is crafted from biodegradable, low-impact materials backed by third-party LCA and certifications like OEKO-TEX® and USDA Organic.

Stitch versatility

Whether smooth jersey, lofty rib, or textured cable, this yarn supports a wide range of stitch structures—maintaining softness, drape, and definition across patterns.

Wellness benefits

Naturally antibacterial, antioxidant, moisture-retentive, and pH balanced. Ideal for direct-to-skin wear that feels as good as it looks.

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Fiber

Smart. Transparent. Scalable.

Vegetable Cashmere® is more than a beautiful yarn — it’s a precisely engineered textile made from a proprietary blend of soy, cotton, and TENCEL™ Lyocell. Each fiber is chosen for its performance, sustainability, and comfort.

From soybean to stitch, every step of our process is traceable, transparent, and designed for conscious luxury.

From byproduct to breakthrough

Our story begins with the humble soybean. In partnership with one of the world’s most trusted producers of soy protein isolate (SPI) in Shandong Province, China, we recover a food-industry byproduct — defatted soybean meal — and transform it through a closed-loop process into ultra-pure SPI.

The process minimizes water use and emissions while meeting the highest global standards:

  • USDA Organic Certification
  • OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Compliance
  • BRC Grade A Food Safety Rating

This is where waste becomes resource — and the foundation of a fiber that’s fully plant-based, circular, and verifiable from origin to outcome.

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Spinning purpose into performance

Under the direction of KD Knit, Vegetable Cashmere® is spun with U.S.-grown cotton and TENCEL™ Lyocell to enhance softness, breathability, and strength.
Our spinning partner’s advanced, low-impact production ensures:

  • Consistent quality across yarns and gauges
  • Low-impact dyeing and finishing
  • Fair labor and traceable materials throughout

The result: a fiber that feels indulgent, performs beautifully, and embodies the integrity of modern craftsmanship.

Engineered for artistry

Vegetable Cashmere® responds with elegance to a range of knitting techniques — from intricate lace to structured ribs. The fiber’s balance of softness, drape, and resilience gives designers the freedom to explore movement, texture, and form across apparel and home applications.

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Proof

Today’s luxury buyers expect transparency.

At Vegetable Cashmere®, every claim is backed by rigorous validation—from third-party lab testing to published scientific research and life cycle analysis. This is comfort and performance you can trust.

How Vegetable Cashmere® measures up

Every claim about Vegetable Cashmere® is rooted in data and transparency. From third-party lab testing to Life Cycle Analysis, we measure what matters — ensuring our partners and consumers can trust every detail of the fiber’s story.

Verified Results
  • Life Cycle Analysis by EarthShift Global: Demonstrates significant reductions in carbon, water, and land use compared to animal cashmere.
  • Performance Testing by SGS: Confirms superior pilling resistance, tensile strength, and shrink control.
  • Certifications: USDA Organic soy source, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100.
  • Traceability: Fully documented chain of custody from non-GMO soybean to finished yarn.

Our innovation doesn’t stop at the fiber. Through KD Knit’s Fiber Innovation Hub NYC, we’re investing in scalable, domestic production — creating local jobs, shortening supply chains, and building the future of sustainable manufacturing close to home.

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Sustainability highlights

Produced from renewable crops through circular practices, Vegetable Cashmere® reduces environmental impact at every stage—validated through independent life cycle assessment.

Water reuse

Closed-loop water systems reduce waste during fiber processing.

Low emissions

Soy-based production has a significantly lower carbon footprint than animal or synthetic fibers.

Biodegradability

All components in the blend are biodegradable under proper conditions.

Traceability

All partners, from extraction to knitting, are clearly documented and committed to sustainable practices.

About KD Knit

Where Heritage Meets Innovation

With innovation rooted in ethics and a legacy built on movement, KD Knit is uniquely positioned to help brands lead the next era of luxury – where material excellence and environmental responsibility are inseparable.

Founded at the intersection of movement and material, KD Knit Corp. has been a pioneer in creating elegant, functional apparel for dancers and athletes for over 40 years. Born in the heart of New York City’s performing arts community, our designs have been worn by professional dancers, yoga practitioners and A-list celebrities alike – each drawn to our signature fusion of comfort, beauty and performance.

From the beginning, we’ve held a deep belief that clothing should do more than clothe – it should empower movement, elevate the everyday and reflect the values of those who wear it. Today, that belief lives on in our evolution from a premium apparel company to a fiber-innovation leader.

We are proud of our commitment to transparency, employee well-being and environmental stewardship. We donate annually to causes that reflect our core values.

At the heart of our current chapter is Vegetable Cashmere® – a regenerative, soy-based fiber designed to meet the demands of modern luxury: elegance, wellness, performance and sustainability. By transforming a byproduct of soybean oil production into a soft, durable and luxurious fiber, we are demonstrating what’s possible when design meets conscience.

Meet our founder

David Lee

KD Knit Corp. is led by founder and CEO David Lee, a former professional dancer turned entrepreneur, whose creative vision and technical expertise have fueled the brand’s expansion into sustainable materials.

After a celebrated career as a dancer with the Oakland Ballet Company and Alonzo King LINES Ballet, David transitioned from the stage to the studio, co-founding KD Knit in 1980. He studied knitting technology at Stoll in Germany and Shima Seiki in Japan, and holds a degree from American University in Washington, D.C. Over the past four decades, he has designed and manufactured knits for both the KD brand and numerous private labels, blending artistry with technical mastery.

Today, David’s deep understanding of performance, material innovation and sustainability continues to guide KD Knit’s evolution as textile innovator.

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