Pashmina Shawls is one of the world's finest cashmere wool. It is made from the Himalayan Mountain Goat, indigenous to Central Asia 's mountains. Pashmina Shawls has great demand in Asia and the middle east because it is known for its good qualities and very popular in the west.
What's is Pashmina Shawls?
Pashmina wool is known for its softness, luxurious and also called as best wool in the world. Finest Kashmiri wool derived from the Himalaya region where the height is 12000 to 14000 ft. Here the temperature is 40-degree centigrade. Due to thermal conductivity, wool has become the best wool in the world. Here we get the finest collection of cashmere wool due to his thickness and very thin inner hair coat. Because of this nature, the animal is survived. Pashmina fiber is measured as 15 to 19 microns thick compared to human hair and also it produces 3 – 8 pashmina ounces every year. Pashmina is known from olden days. Earlier in olden days, shawls with EMPERORS, KINGS, PRINCES, RULERS, and NOBLES were found. The fabric became more precious and luxuries for every king. These royal fabrics now also called shawls, stoles, scarves, and sweaters. It has become one of the traditional fashion for every family at the olden days and still, it is known for it’s best trends from generation to generation.
Kashmir is known for its handicrafts. The weaving of shawls was first introduced in the Turkistan in the 15th century under the ruler of Zain-ul-Abdin. He was one of the Mughal rulers like Akbar and his followers who wore these shawls. After the Mughal empire got collapse many weavers got unemployed. Later the trend became so popular among the Europeans and got huge demand and became more popular in the mid 18th century. Later 19 centuries French adapted the shawls and later the pashmina shawls became uncontrollable due to some circumstances. The waiver from Kashmir started began to produce embroidery shawls for tourists. Till today's Kashmir shawls are embroidery and professional to wear. Finally, Americans came into existence and they adopted the market and they discovered soft, supple texture. Fashion gurus now declare it essential for the wardrobe
Pashmina Prices
The price of a pashmina can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on the fineness and craftsmanship of the micron, the rare availability of fiber and the time factor involved in its creation. International prices are $ 300-100 per pcs, but we offer it at $ 50-300 as we are manufacturers, a factory directly let out, weavers with factory manufacturing complete to a finished product. We buy pashmina from shoppers in Tibet and Kashmir when prices are lowest.
Choosing Pashmina
When choosing a pashmina it is important to check whether the piece is 100 percent pashmina or a silk mix. We recommend either a 100% or 70/30 percent silk mix. Prefer a 2-ply pashmina when well draped and suitable for climate up to 2 - 3 degrees. Below the temperatures, a very old, real warm envelope prefers a 4 ply pashmina or blanket. It's 4 times 1 ply weight. 1 Ply is best for summers with 30 degrees temperature plus. Wear your height pashmina. A5-foot lady should wear a 30x80 inches or 75x200 cm stole and a 90x200 cm shawl up to 5,5 inches. Since we have our own production unit, we can sell the same high-quality products at reasonable prices.
Kashmiri Embroidery
Kashmiri embroidery, known as Kasida, is varied, colorful and elaborate in detail and exquisite in execution. The finest Kasida shawl work has no' wrong ' side. Connoisseurs value the embroidery which shows similar fineness of work on both sides of the shawl. The Kasida pattern is drawn freely from memory by the Naqqash (designer). These are inspired by the sparkling lakes, the wide Jhelum curves, the breathtaking colors of the sunrise and sunset skies across the mountains. The Naqqash is known for his poetic fantasies and religious or philosophical themes in the designs. Common reasons are floral borders, paisley, chinar leaves, and but cones. The texture of Cashmere wool is softer and makes each shawl very special. The Pashmina has a superbly textural feel, drapes beautifully, feels soft, warm and touchy and serves a user well for years. The timeless patterns remain in vogue forever. Pashmina is passed down from generation to generation in the Indian subcontinent. To the credit of the traditional shawl-makers of Kashmir, the fine Pashmina has not been successfully made elsewhere, although other countries have tried to replicate this craft, developed into an art form by the Kashmiris. Wool provides lightweight insulation without bulk. Fibers are highly adaptable and suitable for all climates. A high humidity content allows the insulation to change with relative atmospheric humidity.
Pashmina Shawls, Stoles, Scarves
As the winter approaches, we all dig into our closet for the tired old coats and mufflers we've been wearing over the past few years when what we really should do is rush out to buy the most fashionable accessory this year, the pashmina. This lavishly shawls arrives in a rainbow of colors, which can be weaved, beaded or creased and worn as a scarf or wrapped around the body depending upon the size of the material.
As America discovered Pashmina, it is promoted as a wardrobe stable. Although anything but cheap, Pashmina breaks out of her picture of an elite status symbol. American designers like Caroline Herrera and Donetta Versace have integrated this material and experimented with it. The basic colors in which Pashmina comes are gray, brown and white. However, the fabric fits very well with coloring. It is now available in about four hundred colors and the color scheme is definitely ' in.' American women do shawls with beadwork and embroidery. Terrorism in Kashmir has led to the migration of weavers to other parts of India, as they find it increasingly difficult to practice the traditional crafts of their forefathers in an atmosphere pervaded by fear of death. The craft still survives and the weavers of Kashmiri fight on.
How to Wash or Care for Pashmina?
We only recommend dry-clean. But as all Pashminas washed here in our factory with an experienced watchman. So we explain that our washing instructions are washed separately. Dip Pashmina says 20 degrees in 10 - 15 liters of water for 15 minutes in Luke warm water. Remove pashmina; again in 5 - 10 liter water in a bucket add 2 - 3 tablespoon of liquid Soap or shampoo for delicate cloth preferably for woolen clothes, light brush up till rich leather Immerse the pashmina for 30 minutes, After 30 minutes just stir it with hand politely or turn it around a few times (NO MACHINES please, otherwise 100 percent pashmina will shrink and get damaged, Pashmina is very delicate fiber) Rinse the pashmina in fresh running water. Rinse until water runs clear and then drip dry only DO NO WRINKLE OR TWIST or DO NOT TUMBLER DRY IT Dry in shade, away from direct sunlight; reverse if embroidered with the embroidered underside. Iron when 90% dry (not 100%). You're gonna get the fresh pashmina though it's not like us. A FREE one pouch of liquid shampoo recommended by ' WOOL MARK ' The world trade leaders in Pashmina wool Business in the world.
How pashmina cashmere is manufactured?
1.Wool Collection
The wool from Chyangra (Capra Hircus) is collected primarily. The wool of Cashmere is collected every spring. Then the soft, thick coarse hair is separated. And both soft cashmere and thick coarse hair are taken for further processing.
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Spinning
Every spring season the cashmere wool is collected and is basically spun by hand. The yarn is spun on a spinning wheel known locally as ' Charkha.' Before spinning, the raw material is treated by stretching and cleaning to remove any dirt and washed in a mixture of rice and water for a few days to make it softer. Hand-spinning is a very difficult task. It requires great patience, dexterity, and dedication and is an amazing process.
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Weaving
The cashmere yarn is too fragile for the vibration caused by power looms, so the weaving of the traditional 100 percent cashmere shawls on hand-looms is done. It is essential to have a uniform hand for the weaver. For the fabric par excellence. Weaving here is done with a shuttle that carries the soft cashmere yarn through the fine silk warp. The weaving process is an art passed down over generations to give you the fabulous shawls we offer. It takes about four days to weave a single shawl. The weaving of cashmere products differs from that of cashmere products. Various looms are needed to weave various cashmere products. Cashmere stoles, cashmere mufflers, cashmere scarves, cashmere blankets, and cashmere sweaters are woven in different looms and take different amounts of cashmere fibers and take time accordingly.
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Fringes and Designs
The attractive and excellent fringes and beautiful shawl designs will be different from the others. Fringe and designs add additional beauty to shawls and other cashmere products. The production of distinctive cashmere fringes and designs is an interesting shawl stage. Due to the artistic and delicate process of fringe and design, it takes hours to fringe and design each cashmere shawl or other cashmere product by the expert.
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Dyeing
Dyeing is done individually and by hand. Dyers are the ones who dye the cashmere shawls, Cashmere stoles, cashmere mufflers, cashmere scarves, and other cashmere products, as even the smallest negligence reflects on the quality of the product. Only metal and azo-free dyes are used to make shawls and other cashmere products entirely environmentally friendly. The pure water used to die is pumped from deep under the surface. Dyeing takes nearly an hour at a temperature just under the boiling point. Cashmere wool is extremely absorbent and easily and profoundly dyes. Cashmere stole, cashmere scarf, cashmere muffler, cashmere sweater, a cashmere blanket, and other cashmere products are made in this way.
How to Distinguish Authentic Pashmina?
These fake shawls are usually made of acrylic (synthetic fiber). Be an intelligent Shopper! Because it's wool, you can dampen it slightly and smell it first. It 's gonna smell like a wet animal! Wool always has this smell when wet. But the ultimate test is burning it. When wool burns, it smells like burning hair. And what remains is just ash, and easily comes out. If a fabric has a synthetic smell, it's slightly chemical. But the real sign is that when you blow the flame, a little hard ' bead' remains attached to the fabric. Just burn one of the fringes ' ends, and you can say it.
The making of pashminas
Imran, a young man from Cachemire, left his job in the family business of shawls and carpets, a journey he enjoys. Imran Hussain Meer, a businessman from Kashmir, smiles with an exquisite range of pashmina products such as shawl, scarves, and stoles. In Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, together with his older brother and a few employees, Imran's trip was sponsored by the Union Textiles Ministry. This young Kashmir lad left a cozy job in a multinational company to join his family business with silk carpets and shawls. Imran felt that doing business would give him more independence and personal growth instead of working for someone. Pashmina is a wool from the Pashmina goats found in the upper reaches of the Himalayas. The fiber is thin and made of the goat's neck hair. The original shawls of pashmina are very expensive. Many craftsmen, weavers, and dyers prepare a pashmina product for days.
The raw pashmina comes in pure white and white. " Pashmina sales are good in winter, but the sale of silk carpets is all year round, " says Imran. The final product cost depends on design and labor costs. " Shawl costs begin from Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000. The most expensive shawl we have is Rs 66,000, " said Imran. Businessmen and craftsmen from Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, and Punjab support Imran in Dilli Haat and Pragati Maidan. " We sell to showrooms in Delhi in wholesale and elsewhere. Our customers know, so whenever needs arise, they call us.
The recent economic downturn left thousands of poor craftsmen out of work in view of the depleting demand on the export market. But things are slowly becoming normal now. " People like to do this because they can do it in the comfort of their homes and because there are not many livelihood opportunities, " Imran says. " Recession affected our business. The demand for these shawls declined sharply during the slow down and we could not achieve our goal of producing 200 shawls, " he adds. " Customers prefer to buy things from Kashmir because they believe they could get at cheaper prices. Kashmir has been a much safer place for tourists for the past two-three years. We expect good sales not just in the state, but throughout the country, " he says. Tourism in Kashmir now generates more revenue for the government, but terrorism still has a shadow over companies that are adversely affected.
Imran is pleased that his business is constantly growing. Asked as to what he would advise businessmen who would like to enter the business of pashmina and silk, he says, " Not many customers know the difference between pure pashmina shawls and an artificial pashmina. It is therefore important for businessmen like me to be honest and not cheat the customer. " Imran adds that some corrupt businessmen try to earn profits by calling mixed pashmina stuff and selling it at a very high price. " This business needs honesty and integrity as many poor artisans are associated with this business. "