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What is Pashmina Cashmere?

October 10th, 2022 | 165 views
What is Pashmina Cashmere?

Pashmina is the crafting of the finest Cashmere procured from Changra Goats. Without the finest Cashmere, there will be no Pashmina Art. Pashmina Art is a part of the heritage of Kashmir Valley. On the other hand, the finest Cashmere is procured from Changhthanghi, Ladakh. These two terms are interrelated to each other. There are several breeds of Cashmere wool-producing goats. The several breeds viz;  Australian Cashmere Goat, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Hexi, Zhonghwei, Tibetan Plateau, Luliang breeds, Changthanghi, etc. Therefore, all the breeds produce Cashmere wool that produces warmth. The exclusive breed of goats called Changra Goats is rare species of goats that produce the finest of all. Ladakhi Cashmere is 12 to 16 microns in diameter. Thus, the finest of all.

In 13th century

When a Persian saint was travelling across the globe in the 13th century, the arrival of Pashmina took place. Mir Syed Ali Hamdani was a sage from the Middle East. The footprints of a saint Mir Syed Ali Hamdani from the middle east came to Kashmir with 700 craftsmen to adorn the beauty of the valley and to spread the holy message. He rested his feet in the region of Changhthanghi Ladakh. Thus, the saint landed its appearance in the Changhthangi Mountain in Ladakh.

While perceiving nature, he locked his eyes on the Goat of marvellous wool. Awestruck with the softness and fineness of the wool, he made socks out of it and gifted them to the Sultan Zain-ul-Abideen of Kashmir Valley. Perceiving the beauty of Cashmere wool, suggested making an industry that cultivates the Pashmina in desirable styles. Even the name Pashmina, derived from the Persian word, pashm, meaning "the soft gold" is exquisite in being.

How is the finest Cashmere for Pashmina procured?

cashmere goats in ladakh
Changra goats in the Ladakh region of India

Cashmere is obtained from numerous breeds of Goats from around the world. Cashmere confers mostly to the countries like Mongolia, Iran, Tibet, Nepal, etc. It is the fine wool taken from the undercoat of Goats of distinct breeds. Cashmere, from the undercoat of the Changra breed of Goats in the Ladakh region of India, is the finest. The goats of the rare fine wool are quite brilliant in shedding their wool in the times of summer. These Changra goats are found in the feet of Changthanghi mountain of Ladakh. The area is highly cold in winter due to which the goats cover up their bodies with fine pelage. Therefore, Cashmere wool helps them to sustain lives in harsh winters. When seasons move ahead, the harshness turns into the sunshine of summer. The goats shed off the wool with the help of coarse rocks and trees. The wool is called Cashmere.

Although, the herders of the Changra breed from the Changpa breed manually pluck out or comb the Cashmere wool diligently. Thus, the wool obtained is pure. Furthermore, the wool grows toward the steps ahead for the curation of high-quality Pashmina.

The craft of Pashmina in Kashmir

Although there are several breeds of goats all over the world that produce Cashmere. But the finest Cashmere is produced by the Ladakhi Changra goats. In order to curate the fine accessories from the fine Cashmere wool, the tufts of wool are taken to the Kashmir Valley. After the tufts of wool reach the valley of Kashmir, the supremely premium Art of Pashmina is commenced. It is a stepwise procedure of curating fine Cashmere accessories.

spinning cashmere
Artisan spinning the cashmere on yinder

The foremost step is cleaning the Cashmere wool. There is a thorough cleaning of the wool to get all sorts of dirt out. After the process of cleaning, the next step is the process of Spinning. It begins by giving the local women the Cashmere wool to spin fine Cashmere yarn. The womenfolk of the valley mainly spin Cashmere wool. The process is done on the wooden wheel/ charkha called yinder in the local language. Thus, the artisans meticulously spin the Cashmere wool into the miraculously fine Cashmere yarn.

Living along Weaving and Designing

Afterwards, the spun Cashmere yarn is taken to the local workshops/karkhanas to move ahead in the Pashmina Art. The next process is the weaving process. The weaving is the transformation of Cashmere yarn to fine Cashmere fabric. The intricate warps and wefts create the beautiful woven Cashmere fabric. Therefore, the most common pattern in weave is chashm_e_bulbul or the diamond weave. The weave is exclusively the masterpiece in itself. The eloquently woven Cashmere fabric goes on to further design.

Are Pashmina and Cashmere the same?
Designing of Pashmina

The diverse designs, patterns, weaves and embroideries are further done on the Cashmere. The premium Pashmina Art steps ahead with the most explicit and intricate designs. It is to be noted that all the steps in the Art of Pashmina are manually done by the artisans of Kashmir. Thus, the distinct designs cater to the diversity of people and the fashion world.

The Infinite Collection of premium Pashmina Art

cashmere Pashmina
The shawl has been soaked in warm red before embellishing with fine Sozni Kari threads that span all over its expanses

We, at pashmina.com, confer on the beauty of alluring Pashmina Art. There are moments of gratitude towards artisans as well as the satisfaction of purity. Crafting for us is the epitome of genuineness and luxury. We admire our artisans to support their livelihood for the beauty of nature. Our artisans work day and night to engage in the craft of luxury. Ethical crafting as well as an approach to sustainability, there is a great concern for the environment on our platform. Having one of our masterpieces makes you a part of our Environmental friendly crafting.

Also read: WHICH COUNTRY HAS THE BEST CASHMERE IN THE WORLD?

We, Pashmina.com, are the largest curators of pure and handcrafted Pashmina products in the online space. We are on a mission to revive this dying art by spreading our wings throughout the world by way of our online platform. Our website serves as a window to our range of products that are luxurious and have the highest quality. We offer the widest range, certified quality, luxurious packaging and free shipping to over 150 countries.

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