Pashmina
Pashmina wool, also known as the softest, most luxurious and the best pashm wool in the world. It comes from Himalayan region as finest Kashmiri wool which is derived at the altitude of 12000 to 14000 ft. where temperature goes down up to-40 degree centigrade.
THE THERMOCONDUCTIVITY OF THE WOOL IS BEST IN THE WORLD as it survives the animal AT -40 degree centigrade far below ZERO TEMPERATURES in virgin pollution free climate of the world. Blessed by nature with a unique very thin short inner coat of hair which is the best insulation in the world and this inner coat of hair is PASHMINA. The animal is survived because of this nature gifted hair. Pashmina fibre is less than 15-19 microns in thickness making it very soft (whereas human hair is 75 microns thick) one pashm produces 3 to 8 ounces of Pashmina per year. Origin of Pashmina dates back to ancient civilization . Earlier in olden days Pashmina shawls found favour with EMPERORS, KINGS, PRINCES, RULERS and NOBLES. This precious fabric was known as FIBRE FOR KINGS. Now this royal luxury is being offered in wide variety of shawls, stoles, scarves and sweaters. These luxurious pashmina shawls are hand woven by traditional weavers whose families have been in the occupation since ages and they inherit this art from their ancestors, and tradition of this art continues from one generation to another generation.

Pashmina History
The beautiful vale of Kashmir has always been famed for its craftsmanship. The weaving of tapestry shawls was first introduced into the valley from Turkistan by Zain - ul-Abdin, the ruler of Kashmir, in the 15th century. Production benefitted from the patronage of the Mughal rulers like Akbar and his successors, who wore these shawls, and also because of patronage of local government.

The collapse of the Mughal Empire left many weavers unemployed. The situation however, was saved by the enormous increase in demand from Europe, where the shawls became popular in the latter part of the 18th century.

At the beginning of the 19th century, foreign entreprenures started to commission shawls especially for the French market, adapting the designs to suit European taste. Indeed Pashmina became the rage in France after Napoleon presented a rare shawl to Empress Josephine. With the progress of the century, the adaptation in designs became increasingly complex. The European market for shawls collapsed in 1870 due to a combination of factors such as changing tastes and competition from Paisley shawls. The economic prostration of France when she was defeated by Prussia added to the declining European market. The Kashmiri weavers either left the valley for Punjab or started producing embroidered shawls for tourists, mainly British officers on furlough in colonised India.
Today Kashmiri shawls are embroidered by professional men. Lately, the American market has opened to Pashmina as Americans discovered its plush, soft texture. Fashion gurus now pronounce it as essential to the wardrobe as the ubiquitous little black dress.

Pashmina Definition
"Pashmina" is the Persian word for pashm meaning finest wool fibre, the "soft gold" king of fibers. Every summer, Himalayan farmers climb the mountains to comb the fine woolen undercoat from the neck and chest of, himalayan mountain pashm, not to be confused with the endangered Tibetan antelope that is killed to produce shatoosh shawls. To survive the freezing 14,000 ft-altitude environment, grows a unique, incredibly soft pashm, inner coat, six times finer than human hair. Because it is only 14-19 microns in diameter, it cannot be spun by machines, so the downy wool is hand-woven into shawls for export, predominantly to America and Europe. Although they have been popular with aristocracy in Southern Asia since the 15th Century, pashmina sales in the West suddenly took off in 1998 when designers in London, Paris and New York started to include them in their fashion collections. Since then the growing demand has helped push the price down to an affordable level.

Pashmina Quality
Increasingly sought-after by stylish women of all ages who recognize the elegance of these shawls - a well-chosen Pashmina can transform the simplest attire into the most chic ensemble - and appreciate their practicality and versatility as a snug muffler, coat or blanket.

Most department stores and designers retail scarves woven from 100 percent genuine fiber or blended with silk. But beware of fake "ordinary wool" garments masquerading as pashmina on sale in less reputable shops.

"A pashmina is worn close to the face and the color must suit each persons skin tone". The colors that are particularly fashionable this season are shades of purple; from pale lilac to a deep violet shade of prune. Pashmina trends this year are slightly ethnic embrodiery and pleats. Due to the timeless and seasonless versatility of the pashmina, many women opt for a classic color that can be worn season after season, perennial favorites include pink-pale shades through to bright fuchsia-butter yellow, white and, of course, jet black.
It takes the wool from four and over 200 man-hours (spinning, weaving, dying and decorating,) to make just one pashmina shawl.
Hand-spinning the wool for a single pashmina takes 15 days, so naturally the labor-intensive production is reflected in the price.

Choosing Pashmina
When choosing a pashmina it is important to check whether the piece is 100 percent pashmina or if it has been blended with silk. We recommend either 100 percent or a 70/30 percent silk blend. "I find that a 90/10 percent blend fuzzes too much, as does the 80/20 percent. And anything less that 70 percent pashmina tends to be too shiny." A 100 percent pashmina shouldn't fluff or pill and should be colorfast. An occasional dry clean should keep it in good condition, and it can be spot-treated with baby shampoo and cold water and dried flat.

"Most women select a medium-sized (180x60cm) silk blended pashmina, which usually retails at USD 500 in USA." Since we have our own manufacturing unit we are able to sell the same top quality products at affordable prices.

Kashmiri Embroidery
Kashmiri embroidery, called kasida, is varied, rich in colour and elaborate in details and exquisite in execution. The finest Kasida work in shawls has no 'wrong' side. Connoisseurs set great value to the embroidery that displays similar fineness of work on both sides of the shawl. The kasida pattern are drawn freely by the naqqash (the designer) mostly from memory. These are inspired by the sparkling lakes, the broad curves of the Jhelum, the breath- taking colours of the skies at sunrise and sunset over the mountains. The naqqash also draws upon poetic fancies and religious or philosophical themes, portraying them in the designs. The common motifs include floral borders, paisley, chinar leaves and buta cones.

The softer-than-Cashmere texture, the wool which grows soft with use, the countless hours of painstaking work that go into making each shawl, make the fabric very special. The Pashmina has a superbly textural feel, drapes beautifully, feels soft, warm and light to the touch and will serve a user well for years. Its timeless patterns remain eternally in vogue. In the Indian sub- continent, Pashmina are passed down from one generation to another.

To the credit of the traditional shawl-makers of Kashmir, the fine Pashmina has not been made successfully elsewhere although attempts have been made by other countries to replicate this craft, developed into an art form by the Kashmiris. The wool offers light weight insulation without bulk. The fibers are highly adaptable and appropriate for all climates. A high moisture content allows insulation to change with the relative humidity of atomsphere.