Priceless Pashimina

Pashmina, or as Emperor Akbar used to call it, param naram, meaning very soft, is the finest variety of hand spun wool available in the world. derived from the Farsi word Pashm, it means wool and has been a wardrobe essential for men and women of the upper strata since the sixteenth century. Harvested at the onset of summer in the hills of Kashmir, from the Tibetan goat called Changthangi or Pashmina goat; the wool when woven is super soft and feather light.

The Pashmina was made popular by Emperor Akbar who wore the shawl as a shoulder mantle or a girdle. He was greatly impressed by its superlative fineness and warmth. His courtiers were frequently gifted Pashmina as a token of honour and also holy men for their spiritual accomplishments. Since then the demand for Kashmiri shawls spread to the west with the royal courts of England and France, where they became a symbol of power and wealth. The French were bewitched by the way they could drape the Pashmina and loved the glorious colours and designs that it adorned.

Early references to the shawl represent it as being a ‘doshala’ or a long fabric that was preferred by men to be draped on their shoulders for longer periods of time, while the square shape was favoured by women. The invisible sewing on the square shaped ’Rumal’, made it a much coveted item on every fashionista’s wish list.