Pashmina

Pashmina is the finest variant of fibre in the world formed delicately from the wool of goats. The word ‘Pashmina’ can be traced to many origins, in Urdu the word ‘Pashm’ denotes the unspun wools of the famous Changthangi goat whereas in Persian, ‘Pashm’ simply refers to ‘wool’. Jammu and Kashmir is home to the Changthangi Goats. However it is not mandatory that the Pashmina and Cashmere products must come from Changthangi goats, Pashmina can also be made from other goats like Chyangra especially found in the Himalayas of Nepal. Chyangra Pashmina and Cashmere has also branded pashmina made with 100% pure Chyangra wool and artistic designs. Pashmina fibres are the most sophisticated fibres vastly popular among the likes of kings, royals all over the world.

Pashmina is believed to be discovered in the 16th century during the Mughal rule in Kashmir. The Pashmina was extremely famous among the Kings, Queens, and Emperors, and later the soft, sophisticated, and warm products spread all over the world. Kings and rulers of Iran used to gift Pashminas to other rulers. Even Josephine, the 2nd wife of Napoleon, is believed to possess hundreds of Pashmina Shawls.

The only difference between Cashmere and Pashmina is that Pashmina fibre ranges from 12 to 16 microns whereas Cashmere can range up to 21 microns.

Cashmere

Cashmere wool, the most luxurious, finest, and most expensive natural textiles, is widely famous all over the world for its quality and history. Cashmere wool has been the most popular fabric among Kings and Queens for ages. This wool has its own historic value. The hand-knitted Cashmere products still sell in very large amounts all over the world. Cashmere and Pashmina stoles, scarfs, garments are the most exported products of Nepal and the Jammu & Kashmir region of India and Pakistan. The soft and eye-catching texture of the Cashmere is extremely pleasant to wear which makes it the most popular product in Europe. Cashmere wools are perfect and exquisite to make warm Pashmina sweaters that keep you warmer than any other sweaters. If given the proper care, the Pashmina products made from Cashmere wools are designed to last for decades without showing any signs of stretch and fading. 100% Pashmina products are rare and hence cost expensive, but the investment will be wise for the long term as the price is only going up.

Cashmere or Pashmina wool is extracted from the cashmere goats found exclusively in the Himalayan areas of China (Tibet), Nepal, Mongolia, Myanmar, Ladakh, and Baltistan (Kashmir region). The softness and thickness of the undercoat of such goats make it the ideal and resilient fabric for any harsh and freezing temperatures. The cashmere goats live in the Himalayan region where the temperature can reach up to -40°C, such climate conditions make the wools of Cashmere goats exceptionally resilient to freezing and cold weather. They have the unique feature to last long for years. Raw Cashmere wools are specially extracted in the month of summer and spring by combining the undercoat. It takes weeks and hard manual effort to finally convert the raw cashmere into Cashmere Yarn. Now cozy sweaters and scarves can be hand-knitted from yarn.

Cashmere or rather Pashmina comes from the high Himalayan plateaus of China and Mongolia. These plateaus are considered the origin of Cashmere cloths as Cashmere goats would dominate these places. Now the wool production is famous in Nepal and the Kashmir region of India & Pakistan.

The Popularity of Cashmere/Pashmina in Europe.

Cashmere/Pashmina was popular in Europe since the Roman Empire and was widely considered as the fibre for ‘Royals’ and ‘Emperors’. Only kings and queens were privileged to wear the soft and warm clothing of Cashmere or Pashmina wools. The documents suggest that the great Napoleon gifted his 2nd wife a cashmere scarf.

If we look at the old English movies, Pashmina and Cashmere sweaters and vests have certainly dominated the clothing department. Hand-knitted Pashminas were very popular from the middle ages. They are the perfect example of beauty, elegance, and luxury.

In the nineteenth century, Paris introduced the new era of Cashmere or Pashmina clothing with fashionable designs. We all know Paris is the hub for fashion designers since then the fame and popularity of cashmere products rose to the next level in Europe. A large number of Cashmere wools were imported into the countries of Europe like France, Britain from China as the demand for Pashmina or Cashmere sweaters and scarfs increased at a very rapid rate.

RAW CASHMERE TO PASHMINA/CASHMERE PRODUCTS.

Thanks to the Cashmere and Changthangi goats living in the plateaus of the Himalayas, the soft, warm, and elegant cashmere and pashmina products are ruling the world. The extreme conditions of the Himalayas have certainly forced the goats to adapt to the temperature as a result the goats have developed very soft yet thick undercoats which would protect them in any harsh conditions. Now such undercoats are the perfect and exquisite fabric materials.

The upper coat is pretty much not of any use for clothing because they are too rigid and rough, so it makes the undercoat very valuable not only to goats, to save them from cold, but also to humans, to make soft fabrics. On average only 140-150 grams of cashmere are extracted from a single goat. This makes the process very long and expensive. Keep in mind that Cashmere wools and Pashminas are extremely rare and valued all over the world with just about 16.000 tons of cashmere are reported to be collected annually.

After the raw pieces of cashmere are collected in summer and springs, they are washed properly to scrape any lesser-quality fibre, that would compromise the quality of the product. After days of washing and processing, fresh yarn is woven from the raw cashmere which is left for days to dry out. The dried yarn is dyed giving it an eye-catching natural color. Now the yarn is ready for the final product. Now the most important step of the whole process begins knitting or weaving the sweaters or other products by hand. Hand knitted Pashminas are more famous all over the world.

So, what takes to convert raw cashmere wools to final Pashmina products is the hours of hard labor, discipline, and precision.

Pashmina in Nepal

Nepal is one of the major exporter of Pashminas in the world, especially Chyangra Pashmina, the name and brand which is gaining a lot of trust and praise from all over the world for its quality and 100% refined wools of Chyangra (Himalayan goats with fine, soft, and downy undercoat). In the context of Nepal, Pashmina products have a really significant role as around 50% of the sale of handicraft products is made by pashmina.

Nepalese Pashminas products, be it shawls, stoles, or sweaters, are known to be made of pure 100% Cashmere/Chyangra wools which make the demand high in the international market.

Pashmina products in Nepal are considered to be high-quality woolen products that are coded under HS code 62.14.20.

The most popular and high-demand products of Nepal are pashmina shawls, pashmina mufflers, pashmina stoles, pashmina sweaters, and pashmina blankets.

As the capital city of Nepal, most of the pashmina industries are mainly based in Kathmandu and the surrounding valley. Of course, the price of different quality products may vary depending upon the size, layers, and color of the fabrics used. Most Pashmina products of Nepal have a high demand in the countries like the USA, Canada, India, the UK, and Europe. Being an expensive product, Pashmina is exported more to other countries.

Mostly all the products that are exported are 100% made of Chyangra/Cashmere wool, but in an exceptional case, some products are 70% cashmere wool to cut the price for local people.

The softness, coziness, and durability of Pashmina products is the reason it has been popular among the elites like Kings and Royals for centuries. The finest and dearest Cashmere wool is not only luxurious but also rare. Hand-knitted and worn by the people of the Himalayas for ages, Nepali Pashmina is an example of pure and classic clothing that represents our culture and tradition. Our Pashmina products are knitted and designed meticulously to provide the trendiest and fashionista look even to the Europeans.

Pashmina clothes are best known to provide a premium feel with a subtle and cozy texture.

It often takes the wool of up to five goats to knitting one regular size sweaters. Now you may have the idea of why Pashmina products are expensive?

The number of layers of cashmere yarn used to make the Pashmina products will determine the quality and price of the clothing. More layers obviously mean warmer clothes and an expensive price. If you live in extremely cold weather then you might want to go for warmer cloth.

Normally the standard sweaters are made from only 2-3 piles or layers which are ideal for all year around. The thickest sweater can go up to 10 to 12 piles making it the warmest sweater and only ideal for extreme cold weather.

Beware of Fake Pashminas

With the rise of popularity and increasing demands, many fake pashminas are available in the market which may mislead the customer. There is a lot of faux Pashmina in the market claiming to be original and charging a higher price. Here are some tips to identify real Pashminas from faux Pashmina:

Burn Test

Be careful now, don’t burn the whole shawl or scarfs just for the sake of a test. One thread of Pashmina Shawl or scarfs is enough to perform the test. Now burn and smell the burnt thread, if the smell is similar to the burnt hair smell and the ashes turn to powder, congratulations you have yourself, most probably, the best quality Pashmina. If the ashes of the thread have a matte appearance after some time then the Pashmina is close to being original.

Rubbing Test

This is a simple test, if you are scared to burn your Pashmina, simply rub your pashmina against its own surface and observe the result. Fake Pashminas always generate static electricity due to the use of polyester fabric and might even attract dust particles.

Shine Test

Don’t confuse the shiny appearance of the Pashmina with high quality, in fact, if your Pashmina is too shiny, chances are it is fake as natural Pashmina products always have a matte appearance.

Conclusion

Nepal is especially famous for the Chyangra wools and hand-knitted pashmina products all over the world. Chyangra Pashmina is now registered in 47 countries and recognized worldwide as a trademark label for pashminas of Nepal. The quality of Chyangra Pashmina is also guaranteed by the Government of Nepal, which makes it the most genuine and quality product to be exported from Nepal.

Pashmina products have played a vital role in yielding the nation’s economy and enhance Nepali products and culture all over the world.