History of Pashmina Shawls

Origins of the true Pashmina Shawl
A true Pashmina Shawl, famous for its warmth and softness, is hand loomed from a rare and special wool known as Pashm. This wool comes only from the flossy undercoat of the Himalayan mountain goat Capra Hircus. The goat’s fleece is collected by carefully and lovingly combing the animal in the late spring, just before it molts. This special relationship ensures that no harm comes to this precious animal, while at the same time ensuring the longevity and livelihood of those who create the shawls. From start to finish, each and every step in the creation of a true Pashmina Shawl is done by hand, requiring skills handed down throughout the ages from the men and women of the Kashmir Valley. Since the 17th century Emperors, Kings, Queens, and nobles from around the world have revered this special wool, known as cashmere to the west, and went to great lengths to possess it. The entire process of creating a true Pashmina shawl can take a few weeks, for the plain shawls, and anywhere from six months to over five years for embroidered shawls. Many specialists take part and often an entire community is directly or indirectly involved. Knowing how these elegant shawls are created can bring a finer sense of appreciation of this wonderful inheritance.

The Making of a Pashmina Shawl
The bitterly cold winters of Kashmir have made warm clothing, especially shawls, a necessity for survival, but it took centuries of experimentation and refinement to raise shawl making from a necessity to a unique textile art.

Collection of Material
The first step in the process consists in collecting the raw material from high altitude regions of Kashmir & Ladakh. As soon as the snow melts, merchants, with an experienced eye for the finest wool, start out on the long trek through mountainous regions and passes. They purchase the raw wool from the Goat Farmers that live in the hilly townships scattered throughout the Himalayas. The raw wool is then brought to Srinagar where it is sorted based on quality, grade, thickness and shade of the strands. Once sorted and graded the raw material is then sold out to local shopkeepers who sell to the spinners.

Cleaning and Spinning
The process of spinning a Pashmina begins in the home with the separating of rough hair from the soft material. Usually this process involves an entire family. The soft raw wool is stretched carefully and combed delicately to remove all dust or dirt particles. When the raw material is thoroughly combed and cleaned, it is then placed in a wooden trough. Wet rice powder is mixed in with the wool and kept aside for three to four days. Although the wet rice powder emits a foul smell, it makes the raw wool whiter and softer. Once again the wool is combed, this time even more vigorously, to ensure that it is perfectly clean and to remove any residual rice powder. The cleaned raw material is then carefully molded and placed in round tin boxes with lids. The material is now ready for spinning. Spinning usually starts on Saturday, the first working day of the week for the local artisans and craftsmen, a day that is considered auspicious. Spinning is generally reserved for the eldest lady of the household as it takes years of practice to master. She begins early in the morning and works most of the day, while the light is good, spinning the raw material into strands of soft delicate yarn. The yarn is then sold back to the merchant from where the raw material was originally purchased, with the price is based on quality and fineness. It can take nearly a week to turn the pashm from one goat into yarn, and it takes about three goats to produce the wool for one standard-size shawl. Part of what makes the Kashmiri Pashmina shawls so superior are these time honored and difficult to master traditions of meticulous cleaning, sorting, combing and hand spinning which have been passed down for generations and can be traced back to the late 16th century.

The Weaver
The shopkeeper sorts the yarn and then sells to the weaver, who in turn, sorts it based on shade and fineness. Fine spun yarn is used for a stronger and tighter weave while the thick yarn is used for a more flexible weave. The yarn is hand-soaked in a copper bowl filled with a special starch for a few days and then spread out to dry in the warm sunshine. The dried yarn is then untied and mounted on a wooden spool for inspection and in preparation for the coming step. Once ready, four to six iron rods are driven into the ground of an open and shady place. Transferring the yarn from the spool to the rods may sound simple but it has to be done with great care and by at least two people. Usually around 1200 threads are transferred in the form of a wrapping, sufficient for making four to six shawls. Before weaving can begin the yarn is taken to a local specialist called Bharan Ghour who is responsible for fixing the individual threads in preparation for looming. The entire process usually takes at least a week and requires considerable manual dexterity and patience. Thereafter the threads are taken to the weaver’s home and mounted on the loom with the help of other artisans. The loom is a tiny frame made of old unpolished wood and often handed down from father to son and preserved with great care. And so begins the weaver’s task, possibly the most celebrated and difficult to date, which also always begins on a Saturday. Calling on both God and his ancestors for blessing and to help guide his hands and feet he sits on the weaver’s bench and begins. A competent weaver can ordinarily weave three to four inches of cloth in an eight-hour day. Physical fitness and mental alertness coupled with steadfast resolve are essential attributes of a good weaver. After removing the finished weave from the loom the fabric is then immediately washed in an herbal soap. After the washing the fabric is sent in for clipping, another specialty job that takes both great time and great skill as the finished product is gone over with small scissors, tweezers and a careful eye. Even with great practice only about a half meter of cloth is finished per day. The fabric is then, once again, combed, this time with a special natural brush made of maize.

Washing and Dying
Finally the cloth is now ready for its final washing. This is, again, the work of a specialist as the cloth is washed in fresh spring water with natural soap, rolled out on a frame, dried for a few days, and then carefully ironed and pressed. Depending on the style of the finished product the cloth will then be dyed. As with all shawls, regardless of when the design calls for it, only natural dyes are used.

Embroidery
Even in the relative obscurity of the hills of Kashmir the work can be dictated by far away fashion. The intricate embroidery designs are constantly changing, though many of the more celebrated styles are family ‘signatures’ also passed on through the generations. Within Kashmir are a few master designers and artisans who sketch out new designs and patterns and are usually made up of only the most senior and skilled craftsmen. New designs are then sent to master weavers who select appropriate color schemes to bring the sketch to life. Embroidery is by far the most demanding and time consuming phase in the making of a Pashmina and can take anywhere from six months to five years to complete. This work is also highly personal and a shawl is almost always embroidered by a single craftsman, just as in other forms of art or literature. Should anything happen to the craftsman that prevents him from completing the work the shawl is often abandoned as it is highly difficult to find a suitable replacement with the very specific skill-set required to finish a particular pattern.

The Elegance of Pashmina
The Pashmina shawl is soft, warm and imperial in its look. Proudly crafted by the many hands of the Kashmiri people, it is regarded as a status symbol by those who wear it, but not just for the fine craftsmanship or the incredibly length of time to create it, but also as an heirloom that increases in value as the generations pass. The Kashmiri people have a strong appreciation for the art and dedication in creating a true Pashmina shawl, and they wear them with pride. We hope that you, our customers, have enjoyed learning about the Pashmina Shawl and will wear yours with a newfound sense of appreciation and awe, as well as share with others the story of its creation and legacy.


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