Pashmina

Pashmina (, ) refers to, depending on the source, a term for cashmere wool of the Changthangi cashmere goat,Janet Rizvi: ''Pashmina: The Kashmir Shawl and Beyond''. Marg Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-8185026909. for fine Indian cashmere woolRobert R. Franck: ''Silk, Mohair, Cashmere and Other Luxury Fibres''. Volume 19 of ''Woodhead Publishing Series in Textiles'', Elsevier Science, 2001. ISBN 978-1855735408. p. 142. or a synonym for cashmere wool.

The word ''pashm'' means "wool" in Persian, but in Kashmir, ''pashm'' referred to the raw unspun wool of domesticated Changthangi goats. In common parlance today, ''pashmina'' may refer either to the material or to the variant of the Kashmir shawl that is made from it. Both cashmere and pashmina come from the same goat but typical cashmere ranges from 12 to 21 microns in diameter, whereas ''pashmina'' can also refer to a cashmere and silk blend (70 % / 30 %) that has a typical fiber range from 12 to 16 microns.

History

Samples of wool fibres discovered from corroded copper artifacts from Harappa dating back to the Indus valley civilization are extremely fine and resemble Pashmina and Shatoosh. The material gained prominence through its use in the Kashmir shawl. In Mughal times, this was used as an indicator of rank and nobility. In 1526, Babur (1483–1530) founded the Mughal Empire in India, and established the practice of giving ''khilat'' (or "robes of honor", typically made of expensive fabric) to members of their ''durbar'' to indicate high service, great achievement, or royal favor. In his time, the Mughal ''khilat'' was a set of clothes, which could include a turban, long coat, gown, fitted jacket, sash, shawl, trousers, shirt, and scarf. One or all of these could be made of ''pashmina'' and embroidered in gold cloth. In 1568, Kashmir was conquered by Babur's grandson Akbar. In Akbar's time, a pair of ''pashmina'' shawls were an expected part of ''khil'at'' ceremonies. From the 16th to the early 20th centuries, the Safavid, Zand, and Qajar emperors of Iran also wore ''pashmina'' and gifted Kashmir shawls as ''khilat'' within their political and religious practices.

Pashmina blankets were also vital additions to a wealthy woman's dowry in India, Pakistan and Nepal. In nineteenth-century English writing, despite the fact that shawls were worn by men, Kashmiri shawls became coded as women's luxuries. They acquired the status of heirlooms, worn by a girl on her marriage and coming-of-age, and as heirlooms that women would inherit rather than purchase. Since English law restricted women's abilities to inherit land, the Kashmir shawl served as an item of high exchange value that a woman could carry. In France, the ''pashmina'' Kashmir shawl gained status as a fashion icon through Empress Joséphine's enthusiastic use. These shawls suited the French well, providing the needed warmth, while adding visual interest to white French gowns through the traditional teardrop ''buta'' pattern and discreet floral motifs. The shawl became a symbol of French bourgeois status from the Bourbon Restoration (1815–48) through the Second French Empire (1852–70). As a class marker, it fulfilled 19th century French tastes because it looked rich, had extensive ornamentation, artistic qualities, and was made of expensive raw materials.

Production

Goats used for pashmina shed their winter coat every spring. One goat sheds approximately of the fibre. In the spring (the moulting season), the goats naturally shed their undercoat, which regrows in winter. This undercoat is collected by combing the goat, not by shearing, as in other fine wools. A traditional producer of pashmina wool in the Ladakh region of the Himalayas are a people known as the Changpa. These are a nomadic people and inhabit the Changthang plateau of Tibet, which has a minimum altitude of above sea level and a winter temperature which can drop to The Changpa rear sheep in these harsh climates for meat, and pashmina goats for wool.

Raw pashmina is exported to Kashmir. All steps, from combing (removing impurities and guard hair, and aligning fibers) and spinning, to weaving and finishing, are traditionally carried out by hand by specialized craftsmen and women. The major center of pashmina fabric production is in the old district of the city of Srinagar. The approximate time put into producing a single traditional pashmina stole (70x200cm) is 180 hours.

China accounts for 70% of the world's cashmere production, Mongolia 20%, and the remaining 10% of production is in Afghanistan, Australia, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, the United States, the Central Asian republics and elsewhere. Only a small percentage of this production is the ultra-fine cashmere known as pashmina.

Products

Pashmina accessories are known for their softness and warmth. They are available in a range of sizes, from "scarf" to "wrap" or " stole"

to full-sized shawl and in rare cases, "macho" . Pure pashmina is a rather gauzy, open weave, as the fibre cannot tolerate high tension. The most popular pashmina fabric is a 70% pashmina/30% silk blend, but 50/50 is also common. The 70/30 is tightly woven, has an elegant sheen and drapes nicely but is still quite soft and light-weight.

A craze for pashmina shawls, known as ''shahmina'' in Kashmir, in the mid-1990s resulted in high demand for the raw material, so demand exceeded supply. When these shawls rose into fashion prominence during the era, they were marketed dubiously. In the consumer markets, pashmina shawls have been redefined as a shawl/wrap with cashmere and cashmere/silk, notwithstanding the actual meaning of pashmina. Some shawls marketed as pashmina shawls contain (sheep) wool, while other unscrupulous companies marketed artificial fabrics such as viscose and others as "pashmina" with deceptive marketing statements such as "authentic viscose pashmina".

The word "pashmina" is not a labelling term recognized by law in the United States where it is considered another term for cashmere. According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission:

Some manufacturers use the term pashmina to describe an ultra fine cashmere fiber; others use the term to describe a blend of cashmere and silk. The FTC encourages manufacturers and sellers of products described as pashmina to explain to consumers, on a hangtag, for example, what they mean by the term.

As with all other wool products, the fiber content of a shawl, scarf or other item marketed as pashmina must be accurately disclosed. For example, a blend of cashmere and silk might be labeled 50% Cashmere, 50% Silk or 70% Cashmere, 30% Silk, depending upon the actual cashmere and silk content. If the item contains only cashmere, it should be labeled 100% Pashmina or All Cashmere by the Wool Act or regulations.

Kashmir in 1977

References

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Culture of Jammu and Kashmir
Economy of Jammu and Kashmir
Indian clothing
Knitted fabrics
Knitted garments
Scarves
Geographical indications in Jammu and Kashmir
Indian shawls and wraps