The Kashmiri Shawl

The shawls made in Kashmir occupy a pre-eminent place among textile products; and it is to them and to their imitations from Western looms that specific importance attaches. The basis of these excellent shawls is found in the very fine, soft, short, flossy under-wool, called pashm or pashmina, found on the shawl-goat.The word pashm when translated into English means king’s fabric. Although the current use of rc flying fish the word pashmina is used to denote any large, fine textured scarf or wrap, its correct definition refers to the fabric extracted from underneath the chin of the goat from which cashmere is made. The cachet associated with this fabric compared with regular cashmere is due to its history, scarcity and lustrous, fine texture. In fact the fibres of pashmina are so fine that the fabric must be spun and woven by hand so as not to damage as would happen if produced by any modern textile machinery.During the height of its popularity (17th & 18th centuries), the pashmina yarn was exported to Persia, Russia, Europe and the US where millions of Ring Shawls were woven, embroidered and printed for the aristocracy and royalty. The Ring Shawl is without doubt the jewel in the pashmina crown; so called air angry bird because the fabric is so fine that even a large shawl measuring 200x100cm will pass through a wedding ring. It was Flying angry bird this garment that was popularised by fashionistas such as Empress Eugenie and Napoleon Bonaparte’s first wife Josephine and has since been adopted by top designers such as Carolina Herrera and Donatella Versace.The Paisley Shawl is just as highly regarded and it came to prominence in the 1700 & 1800s when shawls were brought back from India by the East India Company as gifts for loved ones. The Paisley Shawl is typified by its embroidered design on the shawl and originated in Paisley in Renfrewshire in Scotland. However, over the period 1770-1870, the Paisley design was manufactured across the globe, however, due to the demand in Europe, many manufactures used inferior fabrics such as lambs wool, silk and lower grade cashmere compared to the pure pashmina fabric used in Kashmir.