5 reasons why Kashmiri Shawls are expensive
The very touch of Kashmiri Pashmina on your skin feels so luxurious. It’s velvety soft and like a wisp of fresh air. It evokes poetry in all our minds; it’s a warm, comforting hug in the biting cold. Yes, it’s exactly that. No wonder, it’s warm and luxe nature has been patronized since time immemorial by nobility and the upper social strata. Pashmina is like wine, it gets better with age and intoxicates you with its sublime softness and dreaminess.
There are several misconceptions regarding this fibre. Some believe that Pure Pashmina isn’t expensive; it can be bought off the shelves of fashion brands which sell it at economical prices. If you’re one of those who’ve been lured by this practice, there’s a bubble about to be burst. You do own a Pashmina product, but not a genuine one.
Also read: 7 Tests to Identify Genuine Pashmina
Let’s get this straight. Pure Pashmina is expensive and rightly so. It is a work of art through and through and nothing less than a labour of love. It ticks all the right boxes when it comes to sustainability and unlike a lot of other apparel won’t wear out for a lifetime if you take good care of it.
We, at Pashm, offer premium quality of authentic a variety of Kashmiri Pashmina shawls, wraps, and scarves in over 50 colours. Explore here...
Here are five reasons why Original Pashmina is genuinely expensive. Let’s take a look:
Kashmiri Pashmina is naturally an expensive fibre
The raw Cashmere used to make Pashmina shawls has been called the ‘king of fibres’ for a reason since it is the most luxurious and treasured of all yarns. The journey of Pashmina begins in the highlands of Kashmir, where indigenous Capra hircus goats reside. The sub-zero temperatures, soaring altitudes, and harsh winds trigger the growth of the diamond fibre, which comes from the downy undercoat of these rare species of goats. The name cashmere comes from the old spelling of Kashmir, which is the source of origin for this luxurious yarn.
According to the historian Michelle Maskiell, who is also the author of “Consuming Kashmir: Shawls and Empires, 1500-2000,” describes that from the 1500's to as late as the early 1900's, Iranian and Indian emperors used Kashmiri shawls in political and religious settings. For instance, in a Mughal Indian court, presenting a Cashmere shawl represented a hierarchy.
Also read: Kashmiri Shawls during the Dogra Period
Limited production of Kashmiri Pashmina
As we already know these goats are rare and found in the higher climes, but what’s even rarer is the limited quantity of the fleece it produces. A single goat does not produce this sheer fibre in bulk. You can get anywhere between six and eight ounces from a goat initially, but once the fibre is processed, you are not likely to get more than four ounces back. In fact, in comparison to the yearly production of sheep wool, which is over 2,000,000 metric tons, the production of Kashmiri Pashmina in a year is about 6,500 metric tons annually. That’s a big reason why this fibre is so expensive!
Explore: All you need to know about the Pashm Fibre
Kashmiri Pashmina is labour-intensive
Pashmina fibres are manually sorted, cleaned and hand-spun before the weaving process begins. The undercoat of these coats that is sheared or collected is a greasy mess and has dandruff and other impurities. To clean it and sort out these unwanted elements, takes longer than you can imagine. The local herders carefully comb the hair to harvest the undercoat and then the good fibre is separated from the bad, which then completes the sorting procedure. It is only then that the weaving begins, which is equally demanding and painstaking. It takes several months to a year for these gifted artisans to work their magic on wooden looms and weave a masterpiece.
Also read: Journey From Cashmere Fibre to an Exquisite Pashmina Shawl
Quality of the fibre
Now that you already know its origin and how labor-intensive the process is, you can assume the quality of this fibre. Did you know? Pure Pashmina fibre is less than 18 microns in diameter. Yes, you heard it right. Let’s put things into perspective now; a human hair is about 80 microns, so Pashmina yarn is four times finer than human hair. Besides, the fiber isn’t straight, so when it’s woven, it doesn’t itch. This is the reason why it is also preferred as a baby blanket, which feels comfortable in its warmth and softness. Oh, and there’s another interesting fact! Pashmina is up to 8 times warmer than clothes made from sheep wool. We did know it’s a natural insulator, but this does come as a surprise. What’s best is that Kashmiri Pashmina is much lighter than wool!
Also read: Why do Babies Love Cashmere Blankets?
Timeless Quality of Pashmina
When you invest in a pure Pashmina product, you know you are buying it for a lifetime. It’s a timeless fashion choice and will never get old since it exudes elegance and class like no other. It’s the epitome of sustainable fashion, so you know your money is going in the right place since it’s the blood, sweat, tears of the artisans that have gone into making your product. And like we earlier said, it’s like wine. Why? Because it gets softer with each wash, just like wine gets better with age. Isn’t that a valid comparison?
Also read: Does your Pashmina pass through a ring?
Invest in a Kashmiri pashmina and reap rewards for life. After all, like John Varvatos, an American contemporary designer puts it, ‘style is timeless. It transcends generations - it's enduring. If you're thinking about fashion, it's of the moment. And that doesn't mean that it's not important at times to embrace trends and that type of thing, but the style is less about trends than it is about how you carry yourself.
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