Pashmina shawls, or call them Cashmere wraps, are famous all over the world. The goats that produce Cashmere are found around the Himalayas. As such, nations like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia and China produce products made from Cashmere, including Cashmere wraps. It is believed that Kashmir, in the North of India, produces one of the finest quality of Cashmere wraps, and locally calls it Pashmina shawls. Our quest for procuring the finest quality of Cashmere wraps and Pashmina shawls took us to the foothills of this scenic wonder.
When it comes to quality, nothing can stop the team of Pashmina.com from acquiring the best of the best. As such, we went straight to the ‘paradisiacal’ valley of Kashmir and saw for ourselves whatever we had heard about it till now.
A Trip to Remember
Waking up to the fragrance of fresh bread, chirping of exotic birds, and the sound of freely flowing waterfalls, one might think he slept in heaven last night. But for us, it was our first day in Kashmir - the place where Pashmina shawls are manufactured and aggrandized. The pleasant sunlight fell upon us at around 7 am, and we, the team of Pashmina.com, recalled the reason for our trip to this empyrean land.
At around 8 am, after a delicious breakfast, we went to the nerve centre of Kashmiri handicrafts - the Downtown area. At this place, Mushtaq Ahmed was waiting for us, to reveal all we wanted to know about the luxury art of Pashmina. We went straight to his karkhana (factory), where breathtaking shawls awaited us.
Mushtaq Ahmed’s family has been associated with Pashmina shawl making for a long time. It has been over a hundred years and three generations since this family have woven shawls. As such, they know all the artisan types which are associated with the completion of a Kashmiri Pashmina. They also know, and in fact, own some Cashmere wraps from other nations such as Chinese Pashmina. These artisans are super experienced, and with a single touch, they can differentiate Kashmir Pashmina from the rest. As we sat with him, the conversation about Kashmiri Pashmina and its superiority began. Here is the crux of what we realised.
Kashmiri Pashmina - Is it superior?
The bitterly cold days in Kashmir valley left no option for the locals but to produce warm apparel and shawls. While apparel kept their bodies warm, wraps and shawls were added as an extra layer to capture the warmth and keep one comfy in the bleak days. Hence, Pashmina was the best option for the locals, owing to its perfect warmth, ideal for Kashmiri winters. Today, centuries later, it is these shawls that are no more ‘just’ a necessity but the most unique art, that makes Kashmir famous till now. The best shawls in the world made from Cashmere wool are the Kashmiri Pashmina shawls, handcrafted by local artisans. The wool grows on the body of the Himalayan Capra Hircus goat and is considered the finest of all.
Pashmina wool, or simply Cashmere, is especially beautiful and fine. The fibres are just 12 microns by width and are exponentially gossamer when compared to the most premium sheep wool (24 microns). Don't forget that Pashmina fibres are 4 times thinner than human hair. Hence shawls made from such a fine fibre type are undeniably fine, lightweight, comfortable to carry, and warm. It feels luxuriously smooth against the skin. Pashmina shawls are inherently graceful in their natural colours which are grey, brown, black, or ash.
The Magic of Ladakh
The place where Kashmiri Pashmina goats are found is in Ladakh. It is Ladakh from where raw Cashmere arrives in Kashmir and gets processed. The specific temperature and atmospheric conditions in Ladakh play a huge role in making the down fibre of the Pashmina goat the way it is. If transferred to other areas, the same goat will produce low-quality wool. All Himalayan Cashmere bearing goats are capable of surviving the harshest temperatures of these cold arid regions. But only the one found over 14000 feet produces the finest wool.
Hence, the growth of the finest wool is an adaptive response to the immensely cruel and barren terrain, where winter temperature goes down to minus 50 degrees C. It is believed that in the 19th century, a surgeon, employed by the East India Company, decided to break North India’s monopoly in having the finest cashmere. He entered the region and secretly took Pashmina goats to Scotland. Out of the 50 goats he took, just 3 or 4 survived, and upon reaching Scotland, they produced the worst variety of Cashmere, much to their surprise.
Hence, people realised that the best Cashmere wool comes from the Changthang area in Ladakh, North India. A nomadic community known as Changpa is its herder. They comb the bodies of their precious goats in the Spring season when it's their moulting time. Each goat produces an insignificant amount (just 150 grams) of impure fleece, an amalgam of fine and coarse hair called guard hair. In summers, more fleece is collected and sent to a group of middlemen, who trade this wool for basic necessities like grain, tea, and manufactured products with the herders. This is transported to Kashmir, where processing starts.
Processing Cashmere to Pashmina shawls
Earlier it was animal caravans that brought raw Cashmere to Kashmir, but now it easily comes via air transport. The wool has to be cleaned first. Without cleaning, no finished product can be made. This is done by hand, and it is the immensely skillful womenfolk of the valley who take this responsibility.
Post cleaning, the wool is handspun, again by women. It takes about a week to turn the Cashmere of one goat into fine yarn. Hence the processes have to be repeated three times to make a complete shawl. (Wool from 3 or 4 goats is required for a shawl of standard size 100*200 cm). Hence, it's not just the fine texture and warmth of Kashmiri Pashmina that makes it special, but the processes involved in it. The tiring manual work makes it better than all its counterparts. The skills that Kashmiri women have perfected for centuries have been passed down to generations, and no generation has failed in delivering quality work. This has been the case ever since Mughal patronised this industry and it thrived.
Kani Pashmina Shawl of Kashmir
When Pashmina shawls from Kashmir gained impetus, it was Europeans who fell in love with this art form. The first and the most cherished piece they took with themselves was a Kani Pashmina shawl. A Kani shawl is considered the most elaborate of all pashmina shawls. It is woven like a tapestry, and small bobbins, around which coloured threads are wound, are worked into the warps of Cashmere. These bobbins are called Kanis, and hence the name. Exquisite Kani shawls from Kashmir feature-rich designs, brilliant colours, and breathtaking looks. It is believed that the Kani shawl ordered by Josphine - the empress of France - took 30 individual artisans and around 9 months to complete!
Around 1800, Kani shawls were immensely popular among women around the world. Empress Josephine herself is believed to have owned a few hundred shawls around the era when the trade of Kani shawls was immense between India and Europe.
The Shawl industry grew more and more in Kashmir, and this was noticed by one and all. Among those who closely watched the industry establish was Francois Bernier who was a physician of Aurangzeb, the Mughal ruler. He has described Pashmina shawls of Kashmir in the most alluring ways and words. The texture, warmth, softness, and beauty of Kashmiri Pashmina shawls, as defined by him, brought fame to the art, and lured French and English toward the valley.
Embroidered Kashmiri Pashmina Shawls
The next best shawls to Kani shawls are embroidered Pashminas. These were introduced around the 19th century. It is believed that a trader by the name of Khwaja Yusuf visited Kashmir, and realised the high prices of Kani shawls. These prices did not let commoners wear them, and the high taxes levied on them prevented profits for the locals. Hence he suggested exporting the less expensive embroidered shawls, which were then called Amlikaar shawls. These were equally beautiful as the Kani shawls, but less expensive and exempted from taxes.
The popularity of embroidered shawls continues to rule till now. Presently Pashmina shawls are embroidered in three different embroidery types called Sozni Kari, Tilla Dozi, and Papier Mache embroidery.
Also read: Pashmina Embroideries | The Exquisite Craftsmanship
Kashmiri Pashmina for the locals
For centuries, every household in Kashmir has followed the tradition of gifting their daughters Pashmina shawls during her wedding. It is the most significant part of her trousseau. A woman in Kashmir owns 5 to 6 Pashmina shawls her entire lifetime and wears the most beautiful ones at her wedding. Usually, as a part of the culture, young women or girls do not wear Pashmina shawls, but just middle-aged women and the elderly. But with Pashmina shawls adapting to every modern design and pattern, now women from every age group can wear Pashmina. Shawls now are printed, patterned, laced, Swarovski studded, and solid.
Also read: Incredible Wedding Pashminas
The beauty of Kashmiri Pashmina
A large number of European customers have had a one-on-one conversation with Mughtaq’s grandfather. He explained to us how they were mesmerised by the sheer touch of this shawl. Europeans would simply buy a shawl to keep warm or as an aesthetic layer for their dresses. But they would end up buying more and more and more. Pashmina shawls from Kashmir had something unique in them, and just one shawl would never quench the thirst of a patron of this art. This uniquely luxurious feeling of wearing a Pashmina was one of a kind.
Why Kashmiri Pashmina is the best?
We didn't need to ask this question repeatedly to Mushtaq, as we were already mesmerised by the touch and feel of a Pashmina shawl. We had seen many with our own eyes now, and those were unbelievably beautiful. After day-long discussions about Kashmiri Pashmina, we could ourselves define why Kashmiri Pashmina is the best of all:
- As we realised, Kashmiri Pashmina has the finest Cashmere used in its processing. This comes from Ladakh, and upon spinning gives the finest yarn whose diameter is just 12 to 16 microns. Such a light thread would result in the most luxurious fabric.
- Kashmiri Pashmina involves manual work. This work is super tiring, yet skillful and meticulous. From its acquisition to completion, Pashmina shawls of Kashmir demand exceptional skill and hard work, and that is what they get. As a result the shawls are opulent and gracefully superior.
- The lightweight of these shawls owes to the fineness of the fibre. A large Pashmina shawl from kashmir, measuring 100*200 cm weight under 500 grams. Hence these are easy to carry, wear and store. Pashmina shawls are so light and fine that they can be passed through a finger ring.
- Timelessness is one of the key features of a Kashmiri Pashmina. A Pure Kashmiri Pashmina shawl can even last for more than 30 years when carefully handled. As such the shawls are a lifelong companion, and look elegant whenever worn.
- The embroideries done on Kashmiri Pashmina shawls are unique. Pure shawls from Kashmir carry these embroideries exceptionally well, and the combination is like a match made in heaven. Lightweight embroideries like Sozni Kari can cover the shawls profusely, but thicker threads of Tilla Dozi are done around the borders to keep safe the gossamer fine and delicate base underneath
- Warmth from a Pashmina is unparalleled. Women claim that they do not need any extra layers if they are wearing a Pashmina shawl. It reminds them of the pleasant summer sun.
Goodbye from Kashmir
As we left the place, we were overwhelmed with emotions and memories of these luxury shawls. On the way, we saw washers of Pashmina washing shawls on fresh streams of water and striking them carefully over large stones. Many dyers filled the streets who were bestowing shawls with mesmerising colours and shades. Indeed this was an experience of a lifetime. When we started leaving, we felt proud of choosing Kashmiri Pashmina as our core product. As we now look at our pure, luxurious assortments of shawls, we remember this trip, when we came to know that for Kashmiris Pashmina shawls are not mere wrap accessories, but emotions of a lifetime.