From the 13 century to this day, Pashmina Craft has been in Kashmir since. Pashmina has been an indigenous craft of Kashmir for ages now. It is the crafting of the finest Cashmere wool procured from Ladakh and crafted in Kashmir. The quality of each Pashmina masterpiece is defined by the hand-skill of artisans who have served the Craft of Pashmina for ages. There is a proper process of crafting the finest cashmere. The process begins in Ladakh and ends on your shoulders adorning the masterpiece.

The procuring of the finest Cashmere

It all begins in the Changhthanghi mountain of the Ladakh region. The temperature goes to the minimum in this region. A rare breed of goats dwell in the region. These goats are called Changra goats. They are also called Cashmere Goats. The goats develop a pelage of wool in the winter season to combat the harsh weather. Thereafter, in summer they shed off the wool to get the air. The wool is manually combed out by the herders of the Changpa tribe. The Changpa tribe mainly raise these medium-sized Changra goats with two twisted horns. They mainly raise them for wool production. Thus, the wool is called the finest Cashmere wool.

Pashmina is the Craft of luxury

Pashmina craft begins when Cashmere wool is cleaned in the valley of Kashmir. When the tufts of Cashmere wool reach Kashmir from Ladakh, the wool is cleaned, soaked, and dried to free from any impurity. Thus, the Cashmere wool undergoes the first process of Pashmina Art. Afterwards, the fine and cleaned Cashmere is transferred to the local houses for the process of Spinning.

Weaving is the next step in Pashmina Art. It is the process of crafting fine yarn into premium fabric. The highly skilled artisans work on the handlooms set up in the local workshops/ karkhanas. Also, the handlooms are mostly made of forest wood. The artisans primarily men artisans work meticulously on the fine yarn. By creating magical warps and wefts using their hands and feet, the fabric comes into existence. Therefore, the supremely premium fabric is turned to the further steps of designing.

The beauty of weaving is authentic as the karkhanas or workshops upheave the essence of Kashmir in each woven masterpiece. Sometimes, for Kani, Patterned and Reversible Pashmina, the designing starts in the weaving process itself. Suffusing the aroma of fine Cashmere with the Handicrafts of Kashmir is an avalanche in the beauty of Pashmina Art.

Designing in Pashmina Art

After the making of a fine Cashmere base, the crafting begins with the first step of dyeing. The
dyeing of Cashmere is done by a skilled dyer called Rangur in the local language. Also, there is an array of colours with each shade and tone. The pigmentation is done according to the requirement. In the whole dyeing process, all the steps are done manually by the skilled people of the valley.

Moreover, further steps like patterning, embroidering, weaving, and ornamentation are
done according to the designer's design. Henceforth all the processes from cleaning to the designing of Cashmere fibre are the Art of Pashmina. Therefore, the process of designing commences as soon as the faith of the finest Cashmere is adorned. The marvellous hands of artisans whirl in the designs and sing songs of art on the finest Cashmere. The surrounding aura of the valley signifies the profound design in diverse ways.

There are three main styles in Pashmina Art; Cashmere Wraps, Cashmere Scarves and Shawls. It is to be noted that Pashmina Art is the crafting of the finest Ladakhi Cashmere to a diverse range of accessories in distinct designs. The Pashmina Art is exclusive to the Valley of Kashmir. That's why there is always an aura of Kashmir valley in every masterpiece. Thus, the Art is rich in explicitness and luxury of the valley. The intricacy in each design is filled with the heritage of Kashmir. The masterpieces speak of the high skill and labour of artisans who work day and night to craft one beauty of Pashmina.

Also read: WHAT SCARVES ARE IN STYLE FOR 2023?

History of Pashmina

The history of Cashmere goes back to the time of the 13th century when a saint from the Middle East with his 700 craftsmen visited the valley of Kashmir to propagate the message of Islam. On his visit to Ladakh, he encountered a rare Goat of Changra and combed the wool out of it. Mesmerized by the fine wool, he made socks out of it and gifted them to the ruler of Kashmir Valley. Therefore, suggested making a local industry curate the fine wool and it commenced the Art of Pashmina. Thus, the wool was called Cashmere wool by the Europeans due to its resemblance to the word Kashmir. The whole journey defines the role of Men in the creation of Pashmina.

The Quality and Authenticity

We, at pashmina.com, craft the fine Cashmere of 10 to 16 microns only. With high quality, Cashmere, and extravagant hand-skill, we craft the masterpieces of Pashmina. In addition, Pashmina can be adorned with GI marks that enhance their quality of being authentic. A geographical indication (GI) is a token attached to products that come from a specific geographical origin. To get a GI, a particular sign is used to identify a product having its manufacturing in a particular place. Moreover, geographical identification enables the craftsmanship of the place to only have the right to manufacture which means no third party can be applicable to manufacture the product. Therefore, the GI authentication of Pashmina is performed by the Pashmina Testing & Quality Certification Centre, Craft Development Institute (CDI) located in Srinagar.

Also read: ORIGIN OF PASHMINA IN KASHMIR