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Hangai Mountain Textiles aims to make yak wool the next must-have in the world of luxury fibers, By Christine Benedetti Move over cashmere goats, yaks are the new fine fiber providers in town. That's because Betina Moreira Infante and her husband, William, have introduced yak wool into the hotel rooms and design studios of Aspen, and they're making a national push on a boutique level as well. The couple has lived in Mongolia for the past 10 years--after stints elsewhere that included r

Evidence that Basalt residents Bill Infante and Betina Moreira Infante are growing their business can be found on Widget Street off Willits Lane. The street, the location of unmistakable blue and yellow warehouse-type buildings, is where the Infantes have chosen to open a showroom for Hangai Mountain Textiles, a wholesale company supplying luxury blankets and throws made in Mongolia.Betina got the idea for the business shortly after the couple’s move to the Roaring Fork Valley in the summer of

Thanks to this Basalt couple, you can revel in the luxury of yak down and other sumptuous fabrics from Mongolia. “Close your eyes,” Betina Infante instructs. We are sitting in her quiet Basalt living room on a fall day with a view out to the snowy flanks of Mount Sopris. “Now feel.” I reach out to touch the blankets in front of me, one cashmere, the other yak down. Each is equally soft and luxurious. Yak down, in this case from Mongolia’s Hangai Mountains, has not been widely available i