Men and women who wear fine Pashmina fabric remain snug during winters and are seldom aware of the origins of Pashmina, or the travails endured by the people that nurture, tend, and protect the mountain goats that yield this wool. The most elegant handmade fabric reaches you through a long and tough grind process.
Changthang, 170 km from Leh, is home to Changpas (The Changpa or Champa are a semi-nomadic Tibetan people found mainly in the Changtang in Ladakh, India), who rear the Pashmina goat. Men pinned down one goat at a time, and the method of getting Pashmina begins by combing out the fleece. The latter degreased, cleaned, carded, and spun the fiber for local production of shawls, while the Kashmiris took the unprocessed fibers, preferring to refine and spin fine yarn in the Valley for conversion into high-quality cashmere fabric. This wool has a thousand years of history of being woven into shawls & blankets and is praised for its exquisite softness, long life, warmth, and beauty.
All steps, starting from combing out of the fleece of Changthangi goats to separating individual fibers, hand spinning it from fiber to yarn, then the entire weaving process & dyeing & finally the intricate embroidery is traditionally carried out by specialized craftsmen and women.
Pashmina weaving has always been a very laborious artwork. The artisans are the one who makes these Pashmina products exceptionally pleasant and unique. The hand embroideries of Pashmina belong to families that have learned, taught & passed on the art through generations. The art of weaving is the turning point in the journey of a Pashmina. It transforms the Cashmere yarn into the finest Pashmina Shawls, Pure Pashmina Stoles, Scarves, Throws, etc.
A weaver carefully mounts the yarn over his traditional wooden handloom and starts weaving with a harmonious effort of his hand and foot. It takes anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks to finish weaving one pashmina scarf, pashmina wrap, or Pashmina Shawl.
Pashmina outfits are much valued by the people. But rarely do we see someone paying attention to the hardworking Kashmiri weavers who do the job meticulously of collecting the discarded wool of a special variety of goat, then hand spinning and hand weaving them. The charm they create with their hands produces Pashmina which has a remarkable power of emphasizing the beauty of any cloth which is worn with it. The weaving of Pashmina has given a golden opportunity to the people, especially women to prosper in their life as they have got an open stage to perform of their own as employed and independent women.
