What Is Pashmina Cashmere?

Pashmina shawls come in many colors.

Pashmina cashmere is a type of wool prized for its softness and versatility, as well as the fineness of its fibers. While other cashmeres and cashmere blends may pass as pashmina, true pashmina cashmere comes from the fleece of several specific mountain goat breeds, including Changthangi (from Kashmir, India), Chyangra (from Nepal) and Kaghani (from Pakistan) goats.

History

As new as pashmina cashmere seems to an American audience, it has a long history in the Himalayas and surrounding areas, where it has been woven for thousands of years. Young women's dowries often contained pashmina blankets, and scarves and shawls were family heirlooms, much like the American tradition of passing down heirloom quilts. Asian countries so valued pashmina that they kept the fiber a secret until the 1700s. Emperor Napoleon gave Empress Josephine a pashmina shawl as a gift.

Labeling

In the United States, the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939 does not recognize pashmina as a fiber distinct from other types of cashmere, so vendors aren't required to distinguish between pashmina cashmere and other cashmeres. Items labeled "pashmina" may contain other types of cashmere and may not be 100 percent cashmere. However, the law requires listing the fiber content on the tag so, for example, the tag might say "70% cashmere / 30% silk."

Production

Cashmere goats lose their winter coats once a year, when they molt and get sheared in the spring. Goats may also have their undercoat combed to yield fleece. A full-grown buck yields up to 2.5 pounds of fleece. The fleece is spun like any wool, sometimes with a distinctive diamond pattern, into shawls and fabric for other garments. Pashmina fiber is often very short, making it unsuitable for commercial equipment; consequently, most pashmina is handspun. As many as three goats may be combed to make one shawl. These shawls and fabrics can be dyed any color.

Fiber Diameters

Pashmina cashmere fiber is between 12 and 16 microns (0.00003937 inches) in diameter, while cashmere fiber in general is between 12 and 21 microns in diameter. In comparison, angora wool fiber from an angora rabbit is between 10 and 20 microns, and merino wool fiber is between 18 and 24 microns. The diameter of the fibers from which a garment is made largely determines the garment's softness and quality and, therefore, its price.

Pashmina Shawls and Scarves

A pashmina with a twisted fringe.

The term "pashmina" is often shorthand for the pashmina cashmere shawl, a soft, light-weight shawl with a long fringe; it's also used to refer to the narrower pashmina cashmere scarf. The fringe is typically twisted, but it may also be braided, tied in a single knot or tasseled. Many pashmina scarves and shawls contain a blend of cashmere and silk, which gives them more sheen, durability and drape than an all-cashmere garment.

Cleaning

It's best to hand wash pashmina with lukewarm water and wool wash. Do not leave it to soak for more than 15 minutes and do not scrub it. Swish the pashmina around in the wash water, then rinse it. Dry it by rolling it up in a towel to press out the water, then unroll it and lay it out flat. To iron pashmina, protect it with a layer of cloth between it and the iron. Have a dry cleaner remove any stains.

Controversy

As the demand for pashmina increases, so does controversy surrounding its production. Activists claim that goats are slaughtered for their wool or that they die from exploitation or neglect. Activists fear that pashmina-producing goats will end up like the chiru, a now-endangered Himalayan antelope whose hair is used to make shahtoosh, a very fine fabric. This fabric became illegal in the United States and 150 other countries in 1979 through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species treaty.

References

• Oklahoma State University: Changthangi Goats
• Oklahoma State University: Kaghani Goats
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N.: Ruminant Livestock Production
• Federal Trade Commission: Fiber Content Disclosure
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Identification Guidelines for Shahtoosh & Pashmina

Resources

• Federal Trade Commission: The Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939