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 Pashmina has been valued for centuries throughout Asia and
the Middle East Asia, and the wonderful qualities of pashmina are making it
just as popular in the West. «Pashmina» is derived from the Persian word «pashm»
meaning finest wool, the «soft gold». The elegance of pashmina is incomparable
to the other fibers. Combine the beauty of pashmina and the warmth it provides,
and there can be no better choice for outwear. It is strong yet flexible, light
in weight, warm and luxurious wrap or wear for evening and daytime wear in
every season.
Production Technology
Pashmina comes from high Himalayan region of Nepal, Tibet,
Mongolia and Kashmir also Cashmere which is derived at the altitude of
12000 to
14000 feet where temperature drops below 40 degree centigrade. Every
summer,
Himalayan farmers climb the mountains to comb the fine woolen undercoat
from
the neck and chest of Chyangra (Capra Hircus), a Himalayan mountain
goat. This
wool has been found to be the best natural insulation in the whole
world, as it
helps the animal to survive at below 40 degree C.
Pashmina fiber is 15 - 19 microns in diameter making it very
soft whereas human hair is 75 microns in diameter. Because it is only 15
to 19
microns in diameter, it cannot be spun by machines, so the downy wool is
hand
woven into shawls, stoles, mufflers or other pashmina products for
export,
predominantly to America, Europe, Japan and Korea. One goat produces 3
to 8
ounces of Pashmina per year, and it takes the wool from four and over
200 men
hours (spinning, weaving, dying and decorating) to make just one
pashmina
shawl. Hand spinning the wool for a single pashmina takes 15 days, so
naturally
the labor-intensive production is reflected in the price.
In today's commercial market, pashmina is usually available
with wool and silk. Pure pashmina is too light and delicate. To make it
stronger
and more durable, silk is added to pashmina; sometimes the amount of
silk in
pashmina is as high as 30%. Pashmina shawls, stoles and scarves are
widely
available in single-ply and two-ply with different content of silk in
different
colors and thickness. The luxurious pashmina products are hand woven by
traditional
weavers whose families have been in the business from generations and
they
inherit this art from their ancestors.
A Word of History
Discovered by the fashion world only in the past years,
pashmina has been a status symbol in the East for hundreds of years. In
India and Nepal, a pashmina blanket was an
essential component of a wealthy woman's dowry.
Shawls and blankets woven from pashmina wool have been adored for
centuries in the Far East. Pashmina craze began in the XVI century with
the
founder of Mughal dynasty, Muhammad Babur Zahireddin. Under this great
patron
of arts and letters, all creative media flourished, and they continued
to do so
under his successor Akbar, down through the seventeenth century. Like
other
things rarefied and Eastern, pashmina been translated eagerly into
Western
decadence.
It is interesting to note that Napoleon may have started the
pashmina fashion in Europe over 200 years ago when he presented a
pashmina
shawl to his wife, Empress Josephine. She was so pleased with the shawl
that
she asked Napoleon to get more so she could share them with her
fashionable
society friends. Two hundred years later pashmina remains an essential
part of
a fashionable wardrobe and popular wedding and bridesmaid gifts,
attesting to
the durability and widespread appeal of this classic accessory.
In the XIX century Europe, thin pashmina shawl was a luxury item
owing to the Empress Eugenie, who is said to entertain herself by
threading
ethereal pashmina shawl through her rings. The European market for
shawls
collapsed in 1870 due to a combination of factors such as changing
tastes and
competition from Paisley shawls. The economic prostration of France when
she
was defeated by Russia added to the declining European market. The
Kashmir
weavers either left the valley for Punjab or started producing
embroidered
shawls for tourists, mainly British officers on furlough in colonized
India.
Pashmina sales in the West suddenly took off in 1998 when
designers in London, Paris and New York started to include them in their
fashion collections. Since then the demand for pashmina is growing day
by day
and it has helped to push the price of pashmina down to an affordable
level.
Pashmina Trends
Pashmina is the current buzzword of the fashion industry and
this season's must have for the status seekers. The pashmina wrap is now
regarded as an essential component of the modern woman's wardrobe. A
simple
shawl costs $500.00 and can be found popping up everywhere, from Nieman
Marcus
to ebay.com, in fashion magazines and on celebrities. Trendsetters
around the world prefer the
natural quality fabrics, and pashmina obviously tops the list. With the
three
divas known for their impeccable style - Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Love
Hewitt,
Jessica Biel - leading the way, pashmina quickly became a must-have for
many
Hollywood celebrities.
Natural colors of pashmina shawls and scarves are gray,
brown or white. However, owing to modern technology, pashmina can be
dyed to various
colors, patterns and prints. The colors of pashmina that are
particularly
fashionable this season are shades of purple; from pale lilac to a deep
violet
shade of prune. Pashmina trends this year are slightly ethnic embroidery
and
pleats. Due to the timeless and seasonless versatility of the pashmina,
many
women opt for a classic color that can be worn season after season,
perennial
favorites include pink - shades through to bright fuchsia - butter,
yellow,
white and jet black.
The pashmina shawl trend has sparked an interest in shawls
of all descriptions. The pashmina shawls are versatile, all-season
pieces that
may be worn over a bare or sleeveless dress on a cool summer night, with
a suit
in the fall, and with a coat in winter. The shawl can be wrapped around
the
upper body and worn as you would a jacket. The can be worn as a muffler
around
the neck or wrapped at the waist.
Pashmina Trivia
Pashmina is the finest wool shorn from the soft undercoat
(neck and belly) of Himalayan mountain goats. Touted to be lighter,
softer and
finer than cashmere, pashmina has a texture so fine «it is the fiber
equivalent
of meringue». Designer Gabriele Sanders, known for her embroidered
pashmina
shawls says, «pashmina makes regular cashmere feel like cardboard».
Cashmere
fibers are thicker, up to 20 microns. The feather light pashmina fiber
is
extraordinarily soft and light, yet exceptionally warm.
Pashmina is often blended with silk, which sound more
luxurious, but is not as good. It does
make it lighter, but also makes it cheaper.
A pashmina shawl can range in cost from as little as about
$35US for a pure pashmina scarf or up to thousands of $US for a super
high-quality pure pashmina shawl.
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