Fine Pashmina refers to the rare fiber obtained from Himalayan goats, which produce Pashmina once a year. It can take months or even years to create a single piece of Kashmiri Pashmina. Here's a detailed guide on how this luxurious fabric is made. |
The Journey of Pashmina: Step-By-Step Guide
How a Pashmina Shawl Is Made
The processing of pashmina involves a lot of labor in sorting, spinning, weaving, and dying, which are usually done manually. With the growing demand for a pure pashmina, today it's hard to find. You have to go through a lot of efforts and apply a different level of quality check measurements to finally get the right pashmina.
1. The Pashmina Goat
Changthangi goats, found in the Changthang Plateau, are exceptionally hardy animals raised by the Changpa nomads. These goats can survive the harsh temperatures of Ladakh, as low as -20°C, and grow a thick, warm undercoat that is the source of Kashmir Pashmina wool. This wool is collected once a year, usually in June or July.
2. Combing
Before they start combing, they watch the goat(s) closely, whether they are combing on their own or using anything available. Sometimes goats can be found running through the bushes to remove their fleeces, and sometimes by rubbing their bodies on the fence several times a day.
- A paper grocery sack (labeled with the name and date for each goat)
- A natural bristle brush
- A large pin brush
- A fine slicker (similar to a hand corner)
- A long multi-teeth metal comb
3. Raw Pashmina: Fine Hair and Guard Hair
The Raw Pashmina describes the fiber obtained under the fleece of the mountainous goat. Once removed from the goat's skin, it's packed and sent to different countries for final processing. The most important factor is that it should always be hand-spun and hand-woven.
- Fine Hair — Pashmina fiber is free of chemicals. The fine cashmere Pashmina, with a fineness below 16 microns, is hand-spun using a traditional spinning wheel called 'Charkha.'
- Guard Hair — Collected in spring when goats naturally shed their winter coat. The guard hair keeps moisture out, while the underfur acts as insulation.
4. Sorting
Once the stock of pashmina arrives at the processing mill, it goes through a multi-staged sorting procedure to eradicate low-grade pashmina and any synthetic contamination. Original Pashmina has no diversification — it is meant to be 100% pure.
5. Charkha
Considering the small availability, rarity, and exclusivity of this material, most of it is utilized locally with the help of locally designed and manually operated traditional Charkha.
6. Yarn
With the help of parota, the pashmina yarn is wound on a small flange ribbon. The procedure is time-consuming and creates non-uniform tension during the weaving.
7. Washing
The washing method is applied after sorting. The fiber is washed to remove grease, dust, and other impurities, ensuring 100% pure pashmina quality.
8. Gluing
Gluing is one of the most essential procedures before the Pashmina strings are processed onto the hand loom for weaving. We use natural glue with zero chemical content.
9. Hand Spinning and Handweaving
The yarn is carefully hand-spun and handwoven by thousands of highly skilled artisans across Kashmir. For weaving, a special kind of handloom is used to prepare luxurious pashmina shawls.
10. Finishing
Depending on the requirement, the colour of the pashmina is dyed and then washed in spring water. Kashmir Artisans use several design techniques to enhance the final product: hand jacquard, block printing, and hand embroidery.
11. Ready to Wear
Once your desired product is ready after months of processing, it is finally ready to wear. Since it's premium stuff, it can make you stand out in the crowd and will add more spark to your glamorous personality. You can also gift it to your loved ones who deserve an extra layer of elegance.
✨ Shop the Result of This Extraordinary Craft
- 🧣 KARINA – Handwoven Kani Pashmina Shawl — Months of artisan work in every thread.
- 🧣 STELLA – Jamawar Pashmina Shawl — Heritage brocade weaving, handcrafted in Kashmir.
- 🧣 MONALISA – Kalamkari Pashmina Shawl — Hand-painted art on pure pashmina fiber.
- 🧣 Rivora – Handwoven Kalamkari Pashmina — A luxury cashmere heirloom, made to last generations.
| Buy 100% Pure Pashmina Scarves, Stoles, & Shawls From Indus Weavers |
Now that you know everything about Pashmina — including how it is made and the level of resources and effort it takes — you should never be duped by con-sellers. Always trust genuine pashmina sellers. Indus Weavers is the most trusted online source. All of our authentic Kashmiri Pashmina are handmade by traditional Kashmiri Artisans.
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