Pashmina comes from the Persian word ‘Pashm’ which means ‘soft gold’. It is a perfect symbol of luxury and elegance. A Pashmina shawl with all its splendour has the ability to transform any ordinary dress into a stunner.
Read More …Pashmina comes from the Persian word ‘Pashm’ which means ‘soft gold’. It is a perfect symbol of luxury and elegance. A Pashmina shawl with all its splendour has the ability to transform any ordinary dress into a stunner. This ultra-luxurious fabric was the choice of the nobility in earlier days but today the handicraft industry has taken it to the home of a common man who has the taste of traditionality blended with modernity. All credit goes to the craftsmen of the paradise on earth, i.e., Kashmir from where this fabric is brought to the corners of India as well as to the world.
The fabulous craft of Pashmina finds its origin in Ladakh where a Muslim saint Mir Ali Hamdani along with his craftsmen discovered that Ladakhi goats are the producers of the finest wool in the world. Taking a few tufts of the wool, he made pairs of socks with them and offered those to the Kashmiri king, Sultan Kitabuddin. Impressed by the unique art, the Sultan started the Pashmina weaving industry, thus heralding the weaving of the most luxurious shawl of the world – the Cashmere Pashmina.
The craftsmen of Kashmir, in spite of the many odds that they face in their life, have not yielded to any of those but continue to bring to the world the traditional weave to the people of the present generation. They still uphold the grace and elegance that their forefathers have passed on to them as a family legacy.
Shawls and scarves today bear a contemporary look as the weaving and fashion industry has adapted to new styles that blend with the modern lifestyle of this generation. Now they are worn around the straps of handbags (twillies), wrists of men and women as arm accessories, or headbands which come in brilliant bright colours and motifs. Many even wear them around their waists to have that chic look.