Multicoloured Checkered Handspun Pashmina Shawl
Blue Hand Embroidered Palla Pashmina Shawl
At Pashmsutra, every thread tells the tale of legacy woven through generations, perfected by artisans in the sacred corners of the valley. From the rugged plateaus of Ladakh to the timeworn looms of Kashmir, our heirloom pieces aren’t just exquisite but certified and authenticated for purity at the Craft Development Institute (CDI) Srinagar.
We carry a legacy woven through generations. Every warp and weft is slow, deliberate, and filled with devotion to beauty that endures. We create heirlooms, not just wraps. Each piece is a tribute to the land, to slow fashion, and to the artisans whose hands keep this heritage alive.
In our quest of authentic Pashmina, we had the privilege of an exclusive one-on-one interview with Mr. Numan, the In-Charge of the Pashmina Testing and Quality Certification Centre at the Craft Development Institute, Srinagar. He offered invaluable insights into GI tagging and explained how every certified shawl carries a story of purity, origin, and trust.
Pashmina, a rare and opulent type of goat hair, comes from the soft undercoat of a rare breed of goat found in Changthangi Region of Ladakh, India. Changthangi goats of Ladakh are found in the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas (around 17000 feet to 20000 feet above sea level), particularly in Ladakh (India), Nepal, and Tibet. Because of their adaptation to extreme cold, these goats naturally grow undercoats in the winter to protect them from temperatures as low as -40°C. This delicate hair is hand-combed in the spring without causing any harm to the animal.
Pashmina is perfect for manufacturing luxurious shawls, scarves, and wraps because it is exceptionally soft, warm, and lightweight. Skilled artisans spin and weave Pashmina fabric by hand, which can take weeks to finish. Its inherent softness and heritage value are preserved by this technique. Because of its distinctive qualities, rarity, and labor-intensive production, Pashmina is frequently referred to as "soft gold" and is seen as a representation of sustainable luxury fashion, cultural diversity, and classic elegance.
A frequently asked question about Pashmina is “Where does Pashmina come from?” Well, the finest Pashmina comes from Ladakh, North India. Even though it is available in Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and Mongolia also, but Ladakhi Pashmina is considered the best, finest and the most warm.
The Changthangi goat of Ladakh is also known as the Pashmina goat. This goat thrives in the region's low temperatures, which in turn causes it to grow the fine, soft undercoat known as Pashmina. These goats have adapted very well to the harsh climate of the Changthang plateau, (where temperatures can drop to -40°C). The immensely cold surroundings trigger the growth of this valuable undercoat, which is the source of Pashmina.
Although both cashmere and pashmina are opulent fibers prized for their extraordinary warmth and softness, their processing, purity, and place of origin vary. The undercoat of Changthangi goats, which are native to the high-altitude Himalayan regions, especially in Ladakh, is the only source of pashmina. It is a more traditional and artisanal fabric because it is hand-spun, hand-combed, and manually weaved into exquisite scarves and shawls. On the other hand, cashmere is a more general term that may be used to describe the wool of the Changthangi goat mixed with other fibers to enable mass production and machine spinning.
The thickness of the fibers is another important difference. The fibers of ordinary cashmere range from 16 to 19 microns, and those of pashmina are incredibly small, measuring 12 to 16 microns.
GI (Geographical Indication) Certification is a legal recognition granted by the Government of India to protect products that originate from a specific geographical location and possess unique qualities or a reputation due to that origin. This certification for Kashmiri Pashmina attests to the fact that the product is authentically produced in Kashmir utilizing age-old methods and pure Pashmina wool that is extracted from Changthangi goats' undercoats.
A GI-certified Pashmina product has a special QR code on a safe, unchangeable label that enables customers to:
Hence, a GI-certified shawl signifies three key things:
