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What is Pashmina ?
According to Merriam-Webster online
dictionary Pashmina is “a fine wool similar to cashmere made
from the undercoat of domestic Himalayan goats”. These goats are
reared in the high altitudes of the Himalayas, 14,000 feet above
sea level and belong to the genus Capra-Hircus. These goats grow
a thin, inner coat of hair that insulates them during the long,
harsh winters of the Himalayas. The outer coat is coarse and
rough. The wool gathered from this inner coat is used to make
pashmina shawls. The goats are not harmed during the process as
collecting of the wool is done when they are shed naturally or
are combed from the underbelly during the molting season.
The word Pashmina comes from the Persian word pashm which means
the undercoat of fur of many animals, particularly a goat.
Shawls or scarves made from this material have been a status
symbol for Eastern women for hundreds of years. But in recent
times, Pashmina shawls have become latest craze in the Western
fashion world.
Pure pashmina tends to be coarse and rough to the touch and too
fragile to wear although some designers have used them in their
collections. Almost all commercially available pashmina is a
blend of pure pashmina wool and silk. This blending process
makes the fabric lightweight yet durable and a silken, lustrous
quality.
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The blend ratios could range
anywhere from 80-20 all the way to 50-50 – the higher the
pashmina content, the pricier the shawl. The most popular blend
is the 70-30 that is tightly woven resulting in a soft,
lustrous, lightweight fabric. They are available in a wide range
of colors and thickness. For warmth against the cold, the
standard or two-ply variety is the most popular. More
lightweight, one-ply shawls can be used in warmer weather as an
accessory for evening wear.
How is pashmina created?
The wool is collected from the underside of the goats each
spring/summer and hand woven by local weavers in Nepal. The
kneading, spinning, blending and dyeing is done by hand given
the delicate nature of the wool. It takes many hours to create
one shawl beginning from the collection of goat fur to its
completion. Genuine pashmina fibers are 1/6th the size of human
hair. One goat can produce 6-8 ounces of the wool and it takes
about 3 goats to produce one pashmina shawl. |
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Are pashmina and cashmere the same?
While they could be confused for one another, the only possible
distinction is the region where the goats are reared. Cashmere
is the wool obtained from goats found in Kashmir, hence the
name, and pashmina shawls originate from Nepal. The goats that
yield the pashmina fibers are found in much higher altitudes.
Another distinction is that pashmina wool is thinner, softer and
lighter than cashmere thus giving it the soft, lustrous texture.
There are some designers who contend that there is absolutely no
difference between the two.
How do you wear pashmina?
There are several different ways to wear pashmina to accentuate
your style. You get pashmina as shawls, stoles and scarves. They
can be worn around the hip sarong style held in place with a
knot on one side or draped over your shoulder like a shawl.
Pashmina shawls can be wrapped around your neck for warmth or
just hung around your neck for a casual look.
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Article Contributed By: Priya Ameet
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