What Is the Fabric Pashmina?

Pashmina is woven from the soft hairs of goats from the high Himalayan mountains of Kashmir.

Pashmina is a type of cashmere wool from the Himalayan mountains of central Asia. The word can refer to the wool itself and the textiles made from it. Pashmina shawls and scarves are prized for their softness, warmth and durability.

Features

Pashmina shawls and scarves are prized for their softness, durability and warmth.

Pashmina is considered one of the most luxurious fabrics in the world, valued for its durability, insulating qualities and light weight. The traditional products woven from pashmina wool are large shawls, but smaller scarves and other fashion accessories also can be found. High-quality pashmina products become softer with use as demonstrated by Central Asian families passing pashmina from generation to generation.

Identification

Thin, soft, insulating hairs from special breeds of goats native to high altitudes known as Capra Hircus or Changthangi produce the yarn from which pashmina products are made. The goats, identified by their long twisted horns, ares usually white, but can also be gray, brown or black.

Production

The wool is collected as it naturally sheds from the goats. Farmers and weavers collect the soft underbelly hairs from rocks and bushes as the animal sheds, or brush it directly off the goat. Hair from one to three goats is needed to weave a single scarf. Pashmina is easily dyed and products from the wool come in many colors.

Geography

The highest quality Pashmina is hand-spun, hand-woven and hand-embroidered in the Kashmir area of Pakistan and India, where the goats live at elevations as high as 14,000 feet above sea level.

Types

While pure pashmina accessories are desired by many consumers, a blend of 70 percent pashmina and 30 percent silk is also popular for the shine silk adds to the finished product. Heavier blends of pashmina and sheep's wool also can be found.

Styles

Pashmina shawls can be worn or used in as many ways as any other fabric, including the five traditional styles: as a full shawl; folded in half and wrapped like a stole; wrapped and tied around the hips in a sarong style; twisted with a second, different-colored shawl and draped around the neck; and in a noose wrap where the shawl is folded twice in half lengthwise, then folded in half width-wise, and wrapped around the neck with the loose ends threaded through the through the loop of the folded end.

References

• The Pashima Store: Pashmina care
• Pashima World: About pashmina
• Oklahoma State University: Livestock breeds

Resources

• PashminaInternational.com: Wearing pashmina