Pashmina
is a craft, a handmade process without the interference of machines,
processed only in Kashmir. It comes from naturally shedding the
fleece of the Tibetan or changthangi goat. As the fiber diameter is
very low, Pashmina has to be hand - processed and woven into products
such as shawls, scarves, wraps, throws, stoles, etc. However, the
quality of a finished shawl is not solely dependent on the fiber
diameter of the wool but also on the craftsmen's skills.
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What is Real Pashmina?
Pashm,
represents the wool obtained from the inner hair of a specific goat
called Capra Hircus. These goats are found all over the Himalayan
range. So, cashmere is obtained from a wide range of subspecies of
goats that live in Nepal, Tibet, and Kashmir. This wool is turned
into Pashmina when it is carefully cleaned, combed and spun, prepared
for use. The making of Pashmina includes many processes and all done
by hand. It has remained the key economic activity in Kashmir for centuries.
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Buy Pashmina Shawl Online from Kashmirica
Pashmina
is a fine type of cashmere wool and the name Cashmere was applied by
European colonialists to a fabric that was known primarily as a
product of Kashmir.
The
factors that determine the quality of Pashmina are its fineness, its
fiber length, and color. The raw Pashm is available in colors ranging
from white, considered the most premium, to brown and grey. The
finished product is a smooth, refined, strengthened and durable shawl.
Once the raw material is acquired of all the process should be done
manually by workers, right from spinning to weaving on handlooms.
Once it is weaved than it is taken for dying, washing, embroidery and
further designs.
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The Current Scenario of the Pashmina Industry
However,
this trend is changing as there is a lot of competition and the
demand for the fabric is ever-growing all around the world. Thus more
and more people are changing to power looms as it is cheaper and its
production capacity is more than that of a traditional handloom to
power looms can produce dozens of shawls per day while a handloom can
barely produce two shawls per day.
On the other hand, we can say that
these power looms have put a large number of people out of a job. That's why Pashmina weavers
in the Kashmir Currently demand a ban on the use of power looms. It
takes the wool of three goats to make one shawl. The whole process
takes days and a lot of patience needed to make a really beautiful
luxuries Pashmina shawl. The art and craft of making Pashmina are
passed from one generation to next in Kashmir.
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Over to You
Pashmina
is one of the richest handicrafts of India and also a major share of
GDP to the region of Kashmir where half a million artisans
are employed directly. Pashmina gets a lot of attention among the elite due to its charm but the artisans who create these beautiful wraps are struggling.
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