Tibet Tradition
2011
Things that Make a Pashmina Shawl Special and Expensive
Know the reasons that make the pashmina shawls expensive. Read and discover the what makes this fabric so treasured.
If you’re wondering why the pashmina fabric is more costly than other fibers, you take into consideration two factors: it’s history, and it’s production process.
People consider and cashmere and pashmina products as one of the higher level items in fashion. Not only it adds glamour but the price of one is not always wallet-friendly. What makes the the pashmina shawl expensive? What makes it so special and envied? Take note of it’s history and it’s process of production:
History
The fabrics is also popularly known as pashm. Pashmina means wool in the Persian language. For a thousand years, the special fabric was used to make shawls and blankets. Origins of pahsmina can be traced back to ancient civilization. During those times, pashmina shawls were exclusive only to royalty and was once known as the fabric for the kings. It was considered a luxury item and adored most by royalty for it’s softness, comfort and durability. Kashmir was the only place for centuries known to weave pashmina into shawls according to the agreements the grant the Maharaja of Kashmir sole rights to the supply of Pashmina in Tibet. Women from Nepal traditionally wear pashmina. Being able to weave pashmina with own hands is great achievement for them and such skills are passed from generation to generation. The weaving of pashmina requires strict labor and took about 200 hours to produce a single hand-woven pashmina shawl. During the 19th century, foreign traders started to import pashmina products especially in Europe. It became a hit and demands started to increase as the designs became more elegant and complex.
Production
The pashmina wool is obtained from Changra goats. Changthang is a high plateau located in India where these animals are found. These goats are raised for their milk and wool. The animals sheds it’s wool every spring. A single goat can shed about 90 grams of wool fiber. It would take about 3 goats to make one shawl. Authentic pashmina weighs less, has a distinct warm feeling and characteristic softness, and sometimes when making shawls, silk is added to to give more fabric structure. A small difference of pashmina to cashmere wool is that the pashmina is about 13 microns thick while the former is about 19 microns thick. For the wool to woven, it must be cleaned and sorted. A specialized steel brushed is used to comb the cleaned wool then spun by hand. But in Nepal and India, the craft is done by hands. Then the dyeing process is done carefully to avoid altering the texture and quality of the fabric.
All in all, pashmina is admired for it’s quality and durability. The price is just right for a material of sophisticated quality. Take good care of your pashmina shawl and cherish it.
If you’re looking for a shawl from other fibres, check Fashion Scarves and Shawls.
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