Pashmina is the art of handcrafting luxury wraps – shawls and scarves – out of fine Cashmere wool. Cashmere comes from Ladakh, where a rare goat species grows it over its body. So if you are looking for Kashmiri pashmina shawls, then read out this post.
How is Cashmere collected?
The Winter season is the most difficult period in the lives of the Buddhist tribes, which rear Changthangi goats. The temperature drops to -40 degrees Celsius and the area is cut off from the entire world due to heaps of snow covering possibly everything. It is just these domesticated animals – goats and sheep – which survive themselves and their herders alike. Changthangi goats, as a defense mechanism, naturally grow Cashmere wool over their underbelly, behind their ears, around their neck, and other smaller portions of their body. This helps protect them against one of the harshest climatic conditions in the world.
Top 5 Reasons of Pashmina Shawls
Warmth
If warmth is all you need this chilly season, it’s time you pick a Pashmina shawl as soon as Fall arrives. Pashmina has perfect insulation properties which prevent cold to touch your skin, as well as trap heat inside. As such, Pashmina shawls and scarves are ideal for the sudden temperature drops, as well as the full-fledged winter season.
Style
As far as being stylish goes, Pashmina shawl and scarves will never disappoint you. Be it the myriads of colors in solid pashmina wraps, the animal prints and striped patterns, hand embroidery pieces, or luxury Kani shawls, Pashmina is simply timeless and elegant. In addition to being versatile, there are so many ways you can style a Pashmina wrap, which adds to its style quotient.
Versatile
Pashmina shawls are perhaps the most versatile wrap accessories when it comes to winter fashion. You can have Pashmina shawls informal, semi-formal, casual, styles. There are Pashmina shawls for weddings, for gifting, for bridesmaids, which are usually embroidered ones or Kani shawls. For a casual get-together, prints, patterns, and ombre-shaded Pashmina wraps look amazing. Formal occasions demand minimalism, and hence pastel-shaded solids or stripes and checks look graceful.
Timeless
If taken proper care of, a Pashmina shawl will last for ages. It is believed that brides in Kashmir would get their mothers’ shawls as wedding gifts. These shawls would be sometimes 30 years old and would exude a vintage elegance.
Pashmina wraps have to hand washed with mild shampoos and air-dried naturally. These need proper clean and dry storage and have to be kept away from moths. This way Pashminas last for years together.
Lightweight
The yarn of Cashmere is just 12 to 16 microns in diameter. And a complete Pashmina shawl of 100*200 cm is just around 400 grams. This makes Pashmina exceptionally lightweight, hence easy to carry. And women prefer this comfort rather than being laden with heavy jackets, coats, or mufflers.
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