PASHMINA
Symbol of luxury and elegance

The word Pashmina has been derived from the Persian word “Pashm& rdquo; which means Soft Gold. “Pashmina” is the softest, beautifully delicate, weightless and the finest natural insulating fiber of the world. Pashmina, popularly known as cashmere wool. The Pashmina wool is collected every spring from the Mountain goat "Chyangra" (Capra Hircus). Its elegance can transform any ordinary dress into a head turner and can make anyone stand tall. Throughout history, kings, queens, and other nobility were the only ones who could afford to have shawls made from this ultra-luxurious fabric.

• The Pashmina Story :-

The story of Pashmina starts in the Himalayan range mountains where a goat named Chanthangi (Capra Hircus) develops the plushest wool in the world, to protect itself against the killing cold of an altitude of 15000 ft.  Spring arrives and the goat sheds the same by rubbing itself against the rocks. It is this shed fleece which is collected by the shepherds and worth fully sold. This fleece then undergoes the elaborate process of Pashmina making and eventually evolves into a luxury shawl.

Experts believe that the down hair or the under fleece is the most suitable for the craft. The fleece is sent to many places where the Pashmina making takes place. Pashmina is made in China, Mongolia and some parts of Nepal but the best of it comes from Kashmir, India. Westerners first discovered the wool in Kashmir which is why they refer to it as Cashmere.

• Origin of Pashmina: -

The craft is believed to have its origins associated with a Muslim saint named Mir Ali Hamdani. He along with his 700 craftsmen visited Ladakh and discovered that Ladakhi goats produced the plushest wool in the world. Impressed, he took some wool, made socks out of it and gifted them to the king of Kashmir - Sultan Kitabudin and suggested that they should start a Pashminaweavi ng industry in Kashmir. This marked the beginning of the making of the most luxurious Pashmina shawl in the world - Cashmere Pashmina shawl.

• Capra hircus Pashmina goat: -

Pashmina is a kind of fine cashmere wool and is known for its softness and warmness. To stay alive, the freezing temperature at 14,000 feet height, Pashmina – wool-producing goat (Capra hircus) creates an exclusive, extremely soft fur (inner coat) six times finer than a human hair. One goat sheds about 80–170 g of the fiber. Since it is only 14-19 microns in diameter, it cannot be spun by using machines, so the wool is hand-spun and woven into cashmere products containing, scarves, wraps, throws, stoles, shawls, etc.

Step-By-Step Guide to How Pashmina Is Made

The process starts with fiber extracting, carding, combing, spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, printing, and finishing. This flow chart listed below describes the wool processing.