Cashmere’s growing popularity has strained global supply chains, pushing producers to shear goats more frequently and lowering fiber quality. Everbloom, a materials startup, is offering an alternative by using artificial intelligence to engineer fibers that closely mimic cashmere without relying on animal sourcing.
The company has raised more than $8 million from investors including Hoxton Ventures and SOSV. Its proprietary platform, Braid.AI, fine-tunes material formulations and processing parameters to produce fibers with specific qualities, including softness, warmth, and durability. Cashmere is one target, alongside polyester and other widely used textiles.
Everbloom sources waste materials from cashmere and wool farms, mills, and down bedding suppliers. These inputs share a common base of keratin, a structural protein that enables the company’s process. Waste is processed, blended with proprietary compounds, and extruded into pellets. The pellets are then spun into fiber using standard polyester equipment already used across most of the textile industry.
The company says its fibers are designed to be biodegradable and cost-competitive. By relying on waste streams and existing manufacturing infrastructure, Everbloom aims to reduce environmental impact while improving economics for apparel brands and suppliers.
