Pashmina derived from the Persian word pashm – is the term used for the downy undercoat of the pashmina goat, a special breed of goat indigenous to high altitudes of the Himalayas in Nepal, Pakistan and Northern India. Pashimina shawls are hand spun, woven and embroidered in Kashmir, and made from fine cashmere fibre.
The fabric is renowned for its luxury, warmth and exquisite softness. Owing to its superior quality and beauty, pashmina has been and continues to be one of the most coveted textiles of women for centuries.
Woolen shawls made in Kashmir are mention in Afghan texts between 3rd century BC and the 11th century AD. However, the founder of the cashmere wool industry is traditionally held to be the 15th century ruler of Kashmir, Zayn-ul-Abidin, who introduced weavers from Central Asia.
Cashmere shawls have been manufactured in Nepal and Kashmir for thousands of years. The test for a quality pashmina is warmth and feel.
Pashmina and Cashmere are derived from mountain goats. One distinct difference between Pashmina and Cashmere is the fiber diameter.
Pashmina fibers are finer and thinner than Cashmere fiber, therefore, it is ideal for making light weight apparel like fine sscarves. Today , however, the word Pashimina has been used too liberally and many scarves made from natural or synthetic fiber are sold as Pashimina creating confusion in the market.
Some people believe Pashmina from Nepal are the best in quality because of the conditions to which the mountain goats have adapted over centuries. The high Himalayas of Nepal has a harsh, cold climate and in order to survive, the mountain goats have developed exceptionally warm and light fiberwhich may be slightly coarser and warmer than cashmere fibers obtained from lower region goats. Nepali pashmina is called Changra Pashmina. But the fact is, Ladakh pashmina is also similar to the Nepali pashmina as the Ladakhi pashmina is produced in similar high altitudes of chanthan on the India\China border at Kashmir.
There we find very cold temperatures, and the climate is very supportive to the pashimina breed of goat. To survive the freezing environment at 14,000 feet altitude, it grows a unique, incredibly soft pashm (inner coat) sic times finer than human hair. Because it is only 14-19 microns in diameter, it cannot be spun by machines, so the wool is hand-woven into cashmere products including shawls, scarves, wraps, throws, stoles etc. for export worldwide.