What is pashmina?

If you go back a couple of decades hardly anyone in the west had heard of “Pashmina”. These days it has become a generic term for any large scarf, stole or shawl. In reality Pashmina is very fine wool which comes from the underside of the belly and neck of the Capra Hircus goat which is native to high altitudes in the Himalayan range, generally living above 4500 mts. Because the climate is so cold these animals have developed incredibly fine woollen undercoats to help keep them warm. It is usually about 12 – 14 microns thick and almost unbelievably soft to the touch. They are not sheared as a sheep would be but the yarn is either collected naturally as it malts of or is collected by gentle brushing. Each animal can yield 3 – 6 ounces of yarn twice a year. The yarn of fine pashmina is traditionally spun by hand and is used in an un-dyed form with its natural colour being cream through to a grey/brown. Traditionally in Himalayan communities men would were very long stoles and shawls made from the coarser “guard hairs” of the goat. These being the outer hairs that protect the soft fine hairs underneath.

The word “Pashm” stems from Persia and translates into the English word “Wool”. Some say that Pashmina means wool of the kings and was historically only worn by royalty and aristocracy. It was certainly outrageously expensive and not something available to the general populous. The most expensive examples of shawls made from Pashmina yarn are beautifully hand embroidered by highly skilled artists and one piece can take years to finish. Today a very top end “Pashminas” can cost over £5,000 in India. For centuries these fine pieces were, and probably still are, used in the dowries of the wealthiest brides.

Back in the early 1990’s the fashion industry “discovered” Pashmina and it became the must have accessory for the well-to -do lady. This was at a time when the economy was bubbling and high end goods were selling in volume. The regular price for a simple Pashmina stole made from a traditional Himalayan yarn in the UK was several hundred pounds, and there was no shortage of takers.  Over the following years and at the height of its popularity people started to cash in on the name “Pashmina” and produce shawls and stoles made from lamb’s wool and silk as “Pashminas”. When I first started selling scarves and stoles in 2004 I used to sell pure hand spun traditional Pashmina shawls which I retailed for between £100 and £150. People would approach me wanting to buy a “Pashmina” and I would ask them did they mean a Pashmina or a stole. This usually drew a blank look so I would explain what Pashmina really was and show them an example. What they of course invariably wanted was a stole or shawl made from something far cheaper than Pashmina yarn. I eventually gave up trying to educate everyone and as the term “Pashmina” became more ingrained the vocabulary I to use the term in the same way. Now people talk of viscose pashminas, silk pashminas and cheap pashminas, none of which are of course really a “Pashmina”.

I do still get asked for pure hand spun pashmina shawls and stoles and can still get them. I can even get them dyed to the colour of your choice. Most of the Pashmina yarn used in the fashion industry today is not from its traditional source high in the Himalayan Mountains but from very large herds on the vast high plains of Mongolia which are carefully managed by large companies very much with business in mind.

Of course if you want wholesale viscose pashminas or wholesale silk pashminas I'm your man. And if you want the real McCoy give me a ring.