Cashmere yarn to cashmere scarf, a saga of luxury by Pashmina.com

Pashmina

A regalia of luxury and stature, the art of Pashmina is handcrafting of the finest Cashmere based on knowledge of the skills passed on from generation to generation and designed purely by the intuition of Kashmiri artisans. The exquisiteness of the exceptionally warm and delicate Cashmere yarn transformed into extravagant Pashmina has fascinated the Royals all over the world for centuries with its enchanting glamour and traditional elegance.

The compelling seed of handcrafting Pashmina was sown in the alluring valley of Kashmir where the “diamond fabric” has been around for more than 5 centuries. Cashmere is found in the mountains of a lot of countries including Nepal, China, Mongolia, but the finest of all is found in Ladakh, India, that is particularly used by the craftsmen of Kashmir valley. The incredibly warm and fantastically gossamer Cashmere fleece from the Himalayan Changthangi goats is passed on to the highly skilled artisans of Kashmir who intricately weave it into wrap accessories on traditional wooden handlooms.

The timelessly luxurious Cashmere Scarf is ornated by different techniques of weaving and embroidery to give them the prestige of “one-of-a-kind” masterpiece. The craftsmen learn these skills and techniques from their family and community where the secrets of this heritage art are passed down to generations. On the canvas of the Cashmere Scarf, an artisan paints the picture of his life experiences by his threads. The experiences he gathered growing up in the lap of the beautiful Kashmir valley with impressively craggy mountains, majestic forests, and jewels of rivers. The saga of Cashmere Yarn to Cashmere Scarf is as magical as a starlit sky making the artwork reminiscent of India’s heritage.

The Turmoil of Artisans

With modernization of industries, the handicrafts were converted into machine-made crafts that produced everything in abundance with low cost and adulterated cashmere scarves with synthetic fibres. This toxic system of overproduction and consumption not only led to polluting the environment, but also negatively affected the artisan communities. The disposable trendy pieces of fast-fashion took over the luxury of slow and sustainable work of art. The highly skilled artisans lost their privileges as the creators of artful wonders with traditional practices.

The makers of Cashmere Scarves who once lived a flamboyant lifestyle, were deprived of even the basic income. Their financial independence was wrecked by the factory-owners. Markets were flooded with cheap replicas, forcing the grassroot artisans to either sell their precious work of art at extremely low prices or change their profession altogether. With such minimal earning, basic education was also a luxury they could not afford. This resulted in the artisans abandoning and drifting apart from their path of glorious Pashmina Art.

The Intervention

Exploring this painstakingly handcrafted luxury, Varun Kumar, a social entrepreneur, founded Pashmina.com to demonstrate the highest level of craftsmanship to the world with timeless collection of handmade luxury. With a mission to revive the lost glory of Pashmina art, Pashmina.com has become the largest curator of authentic wonders where each piece crafted exhibits beautiful artwork while displaying expert craftsmanship. “We created this platform with a vision to help the artisan community of Kashmir to access the global market where they can present their exceptional skills of shawl making. Preserving our heritage of this fascinating craft is need of the hour to empower the community and help them flourish,” asserts Varun.

In the present scenario, millions of adulterated and machine-made Cashmere Scarves are being sold in the name of pure Pashmina. These scarves are not only fake but also harmful for our ecosystem. The synthetic fashion has been slowly poisoning our society with the toxic system of overproducing never-lasting pieces and wasting natural resources. Encouraging and emphasising the importance of authenticity of the regal art of Pashmina, each Cashmere Scarf at Pashmina.com is 100% Himalayan Cashmere, handwoven and hand-embroidered, certified by Ministry of Textiles.

The Independence of Artisans

Today, more than 100 artisan families are connected with Pashmina.com where they enjoy the freedom of selling their art to the true patrons without having to compromise on the earnings or the quality of what the authentic heirlooms of Pashmina have always been celebrated for. Varun explains, “These are not merely scarves that you drape. These are the miniatures of the life and experience of the artisan who has crafted it. Every piece has a unique identity elucidating the imagination of its maker.” All the associated artisans are not only paid upfront, but a reward of 5% of the proceeds is also contributed for empowerment of children and women of the artisan families.

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