 What is pashmina? Is it the same as
cashmere and shahtoosh?
- Short answer: pashmina is cashmere. Shahtoosh is different.
Pashmina is a term applied to the wool, and products made from the
wool, derived from the undercoat of the Capra hircus goat, a
domestic breed raised primarily at high elevations in Central Asia,
particularly Mongolia. For years it has been used by weavers in
Kashmir (hence "cashmere"), a disputed area between Pakistan and
India. Due to the ongoing war there, China has been able to dominate pashmina production in the last decade.
Shahtoosh, on the other hand, is a fiber derived from the undercoat
of an endangered Tibetan antelope, the chiru, and is illegal in most Western
countries. It is, unbelievably enough, much more expensive that
pashmina.
For more information on this subject, see the articles available on our Off-Site Links page.
- Are Sunrise products really as good as the stuff
they're selling at the ritzy department stores???
- In a word: Yes.
- Do not be misled by fancy designer labels! Most pashmina textiles
are woven by local craftsmen in Nepal; the big names are just sewn on
later.
- Actually, some of the shawls sold by the biggest importers are
machine-made: that's the only way they can assure themselves of a
reliable supply, not to mention lower cost. However, there is a
difference! Hand-woven cloths are tighter (therefore denser and
warmer). To spot a machine-made wrap, look at the fringe base:
machines make an unnaturally straight edge. Sunrise Pashmina sells
only textiles handcrafted by experienced weavers.
- I see references to "100% pashmina", as well as
"70/30" and "50/50" silk blends. What's that all about? And what's a
"ring shawl"?
- The best-selling Pashminas -- sometimes advertised as "pure" --
are really mixes of 70% wool (the crosswise "woof" thread) and 30%
silk (the lengthwise "warp" thread). Some marketers try to gain a
competitive advantage by claiming 75%-25% or 80%-20%, but the
difference is unsubstantiable.
- 100% pashmina is palpably lighter and warmer than silk blends
-- some people describe it as "buttery." The "ring shawl" is a
full-size 100% wrap that is fine enough to pass through
a relatively small ring. However, the 100%
pashminas are not as strong as the 70%-30% mix, and they lack the
sheen and the elegant drape of the silk, which some people prefer.
- I've seen some pashminas that are a little cheaper
than yours. What gives?
- There are lots of ways of making cheaper "pashminas." We don't cut corners. And, because of our ideological baggage, we pay a little more for our weaving. We do offer certain discounts: see Update page for details.
- I've seen some pashminas that are a LOT cheaper
than yours. What gives?
- Some of the shawls and scarves being marketed as pashmina are not the real stuff. Even in Nepal, shawls and scarves in the
pashmina style have been made for years; the cheaper products are made
from acrylics, or from sheep wool and cotton. Medium cheap products are generally made from yarn that has been adulterated with varying proportions of sheep wool, often treated to remove the microscopic scales and make it more difficult to distinguish from goat wool.
Unfortunately, the
word "pashmina" has acquired a rather broad generic meaning. In fact,
the shawls that are most popular in the West today (and among our own
customers!) are woven from a blend of pashmina wool and silk, yet
everyone refers to them as "pashmina."
- What other factors contribute to quality in
pashmina shawls?
- The main factors, of course, are the specific fabric (pure pashmina, or silk/pashmina mix), and the style of looming ("hand" or "machine"). An increasingly important factor is the yarn itself. Four or five grades of pashmina wool are now available, and the difference between the top grade and the next best can account for a 25-35% difference in cost. The variation in pashmina wools has to do with the length, fineness, strength, and softness of the fibers; inferior grades are impure and/or poorly sorted, including an unacceptable proportion of rough guard hairs (as distinct from the downy undercoat), overly short fibers, and other impurities. A relatively minor cost factor is the dye. Many pashminas are colored with dyes produced in India; these chemicals are cheaper and less permanent than the Swiss dyes that we use.
- My neighbor Harriet got a really fluffy pashmina
in Nepal. How come I don't see pictures of shawls like hers?
- Many first-time pashmina buyers (including quite a few tourists who see them being hawked in Asan Tole bazaar in Kathmandu)
are attracted by the fuzzy look and feel of brushed wraps. Brushing,
however, weakens the cloth, induces shedding, and turns your wrap into
a dust mop for lint. True connoisseurs eschew both full-brushed and
semi-brushed pashminas. If you really want one, just lend your shawl to your cat for an afternoon.
- What's with the dimensions of the "full-size"
shawls? I keep seeing different figures. What's up with that?
- Conventionally, the full-size is supposed to measure 90 X 200 cm.,
or 35.4" x 78.7"; some weavers go for 90 x 210cm, or 35.4 x 82.7". The
natural undyed pashminas ("cream" or "champagne") may correspond to
these values, but the cloth shrinks in length by about 4% (roughly 3")
during the dying process. These days there has been some attempt to
compensate for the shrinkage by increasing the measurements. At the
same time, it is very hard to arrive at an objective measurement of
such an elastic cloth. Remember that these are supposed to be
hand-woven, with some variability in weaving style, loom tension, and
so on: naturally there is inconsistency in the precise measurements.
Some sellers prefer to advertise the maximum dimensions; others feel
safer advertising minimum measurements. We state dimensions that are
nearer the minimum -- generally the true measurements are a bit
longer. But really, this is a silly question to get all wrapped up in,
isn't it? The full-size pieces are HUGE -- who cares about a couple of
inches one way or the other?
- I read somewhere on your page that you guys are "fast"... that delivery is five days or something like that. Is that for real?
- Okay, here's the thing... and we're not trying to weasel out of our claim... but you have to understand that we're shipping from Kathmandu. Except for a our new Pret-a-Porter selection (which ships from Ithaca, NY, USA) everything is made to order. For standard orders, that doesn't slow things down much: dying only takes a day ... normally. Embroidery and beading add at least a couple of days. If there is a big rush (before Christmas, Valentines, or Mother's Day, for instance), there can be a backlog of up to a week. Other pertinent factors include weekends (keep in mind that an order placed in the States on Thursday may not be processed for three days, since it is already Friday in Nepal); holidays (given our workforce, and the Nepali work ethic, there are MANY that can throw us off schedule); and, until recently, bandhs, or general strikes, called by the insurgent Maoists.
On the other hand, we do ship by DHL, which we have found to be the fastest and most reliable international shipping service.
So... five days is possible (sometimes even three), but a week is average, and two weeks -- or more! -- is in the realm of possibility. Generally speaking, the more desperate you are to receive an order in five days, the more likely it is to take ten. Please do not place an order if you absolutely must have it in seven days or less: you know how the gods love to mess up our best-laid plans.
- Do I have to buy a shawl with fringes? I'm afraid
they'll get caught in the spokes of my boyfriend's motorcycle!
- These days some shawls are being made without the traditional 3"
knotted fringes. Ours have them. If you don't like fringes, you can
cut them off. Or tell us, and we'll do it for you.
- My boyfriend says to get a "two-ply" shawl. I
kind of like the "single-ply." What do you think?
- "Two-ply" shawls are made with doubled up wool thread. The result is a thicker cloth, which
feels more plush. Remember, however, that with Pashmina,
lightness is the prime virtue. You are not looking for a tarp for your
boyfriend's motorcycle! Most of our customers prefer 2-ply in the 70/30 and 50/50 silk blends, so that is the default: if you don't specify, we will send the double-ply. For 100% pashmina wraps, single-ply is the standard. In fact, 2-ply may not even slide through the ring, which is the basis of the term "ring shawl." We haven't bothered to check. In any case, we do offer single or double at the same price. If you want a single-ply silk blend, or a double-ply 100%, just specify your preference in the text box when you order.
- How can I clean a pashmina?
- Disclaimer: the following is not offered as
advice, as it is not based on our experience. We deal in new
pashminas, and have no laboratories in which to test cleaning
methods.The conventional wisdom is that, if necessary, they
should be dry-cleaned. Generally, they will not need ironing: the
wrinkles fall out if the wrap is hung up. A cool dry iron is safest,
if you have to use one. Some sources say that it is okay to wash
pashmina in cool or warm water with natural soap or shampoo, and blot
dry. Again, this is second-hand information. Let us know about your
experiences, okay?
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Article reprinted from Sunrise Spamina Vol. I, No. 2:
SHOWER IT WITH AFFECTION: Some of you have asked why we don't
put "Dry Clean Only" tags on our pashmina shawls, like the Big Names
do. Well, first of all, we think tags look tacky. Secondly, it's
easy to damage the shawl in the process of removing a tag. And third,
pashminas can be washed by hand. More to the point, dry cleaning
can be pretty tough on pashminas!
Now, before we get into this, we must insist that we have no particular
expertise in laundering anything, and certainly will take no responsibility
for any contretemps. In fact, some of us don't even separate whites
and colors. But we have asked around quite a bit, and here is what
we got from our most knowledgeable sources.
1) Clean your bathtub thoroughly. Plug the drain.
2) Lay the pash flat, folded as necessary, depending on the size of your tub.
3) Using a hand-held shower, soak the shawl with lukewarm or cool water.
4) Squirt the shawl with a moderate amount of neutral detergent. Baby shampoo is okay.
5) Pat and squush the shawl to make sure the soap penetrates the entire piece.
6) Let it soak for 15 minutes.
7) Unplug the bathtub and let the water drain away.
8) Using the hand-held shower, rinse the pashmina thoroughly.
9) Remove the pashmina from the bathtub, and fold it small enough
to fit into a large ziplock plastic bag.
10) Seal the bag and shake for a couple of minutes.
11) Remove the pashmina from the bag and lay it on a fresh, dry
towel. Allow to blot for 15 minutes.
12) Push aside the shower curtain and hang unwrinkled from the shower rod. Allow to dry thoroughly.
Article reprinted from Sunrise Spamina Vol. I, No. 3:
IRONING YOUR PASHMINA: Actually, a pashmina shawl does not generally require ironing. Just hang it up, unbunched, and let the wrinkles fall out. For a crisper, more elegant look, you might want to have it professionally pressed; or do it yourself:
a) Prepare the area around your ironing board or table. The shawl is a
long piece of fabric, and you don't want to have it mopping your floor. We
usually cover the floor area with a clean bedsheet.
b) Pre-warm your steam iron to a moderate heat.
c) Lay out your pashmina on the ironing board and cover it with a thin
cloth: you want to avoid direct contact between the pashmina cloth and the
iron. Again, a clean bedsheet will do the trick.
d) Iron the shawl from one fringed end to the other. Move the iron up and
down, not left and right. Use the steamer liberally.
By the way, if you decide to entrust your pashmina to a dry cleaner,
you should make sure that the establishment has had experience with
this fabric. Tighten every fringe knot beforehand, but be aware
that the tassles on the fringes are likely to lose their virginal
fluff, anyway. Make sure that the pash is carefully inspected as
it is received by the dry cleaner, and be sure to open and inspect
it thoroughly at the counter when you receive it.
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- What's with the #?$#@!! discounts?@#!??!#@&? I can't get the #!!@($*@! shopping cart to give me right prices!!
- Annoying, isn't it? Our shopping cart simply isn't sophisticated enough to compute all the discounts, specials, customization options, etc. etc. etc. There are two solutions: you can use the "ordering instructions" textbox in the shopping cart to specify exactly what you want (and to remind us of applicable discounts); or you can send us a separate email. In any case, the shopping cart does not have the final say as to the price you are charged: everything has to be computed manually. We send you an order confirmation, so that you can check the details and prices and send us any necessary corrections. Finally, when the dust settles, we process your payment.
- It's a clunky system, but if you have the patience, it does work.
- Can I order a color that isn't on the order menus?
- Yes. Just write it in -- or email us. If you know the standard name, or find it on one of the color charts linked to our site, we can get it. If it's not in stock, it will take one or two days longer to ship it out.
- Uhh... is your shopping cart "secure"?
- Yes. You can tell that the site is secure when you go to the order form where
credit card information is taken: a little image of a lock appears in the
lower-right hand corner of a browser, which indicates that secure socket
layering is being used at that time.
- Holy Moly! My anniversary is tomorrow!!! Any suggestions?
- Bad bad dog! Lucky for you, we have a solution that just may get you off the hook. You can let your giftee know that you tried your best, and that the best of all possible presents is... on the way. We will email the evidence with a printable Certificate of Belated Delivery.
(Click for larger image.)
- Do you guys do Gift Certificates?
- Yes! Funny you should ask... Here's a letter we just received:
Dear Sunrise,
I just received my pashmina, and I am absolutely thrilled with the
quality and beauty of the craftsmenship. The pashmina will be a
Christmas gift for my mother, and I had to guess at the color she
is looking for. If it is not the shade of green that she desires,
is it possible to exchange it for a shade of her choice? She may
love the color, but if she does not I would appreciate directions on how to exchange it.
Thank you again for your professional and prompt service. It has
been a pleasure to order through your company.
Sincerely,
XY
Okay, what's wrong with this picture? Sure, we'll exchange the shawl if Mom wants, and pay for return postage... but we will lose enough on this transaction to obliterate the profit on six sales. Yikes!
(Click for larger image.)
Solution? A scrumptious Gift Certificate! Same deal as the CBD (above): we'll send the printable document free... or (for $20, which includes a fab pair of earrings) we will express mail a handsome color hardcopy anywhere in the United States. Your gift is on time, and she gets exactly the pash she's dreamed of. And... get this... it doesn't have to be for Christmas: you can buy a Gift Certificate now for delivery any time in 2003... and lock in current specials... or any pertinent discounts that happen to pop up between now and the time of delivery. The perfect win-win scenario!
- Your stuff is GREAT! In fact, I think I'd like to go into competition with you and sell it myself. What's the story on wholesale?
- No problem! Just write to Tsering Choekyap (choekyap@hotmail.com) and make your own arrangements with him. He is extremely reliable, honest, friendly, helpful, and getting pretty good with colors. Note, however, that in dealing with Tsering you will have to define the terms of your agreement: he will ship directly to you, you will pay him by bank transfer, and I wouldn't necessarily expect the kind of iron-clad guarantee that we offer... He simply can't afford to exchange merchandise because of changing color preference, for example. If you send a pashmina back to him, he will have to pay customs duty that is higher than his selling price! So be sure you know what you want, and maybe order in limited quantity at first. For orders under $1000, you'll have to order through us, though.
Oh, if you write him for prices, be sure to specify not only the type and quantity but also how you would like them shipped. Air cargo is much cheaper than courier or express, but you will have to deal with customs. Duty on pashmina in most countries is not very high, but unless you live near an airport you will probably have to pay a customs agent to take care of it. If you are going through JFK airport, we recommend Singapore airlines; I'll post the name and contact information for our customs agent here... soon.
Good luck!
- *So what's the small print
on your guarantee?
- Okay, here's the thing: We know our products are tops, and we want you to be happy. Ordering over the Internet is always a bit dicey, so
we try to assume that risk for ourselves. If you aren't happy with
your piece, we will exchange it or refund the purchase price (not including
shipping.)
However, we are basically guaranteeing the wrap itself, not the
other imponderables that may influence your happiness in connection
with it. Here are some examples of what our guarantee doesn't cover:
I bought the ultra-chic hot pink ring shawl and still can't get a date for the Sadie Hawkins dance. Should I have bought handcuffs instead?
Blast! I dragged my champagne extra brut shawl through the
subway, and now look at it!
I got a black pashmina right after my mother died, but now my
daughter wants to borrow it for her wedding, only she thinks we need
eggshell or dove gray.
I gave it to my dry-cleaner, who NEVER screws up ANYTHING, and it came back all frazzled and
knotsy.
I honestly can't deal with all the insipid compliments from
strange guys, not to mention the anguished expressions and muttered
imprecations from my girlfriends who already bought pashminas at
twice the price.
My new boyfriend says my single-ply 100% pashmina shawl is
frou-frou. He says to get rid of it and buy a Vanson leather
motorcycle jacket.
Buying the pashmina was a selfish thing to do. Really, I should
have bought the three-story Hamster Habitat for my son's hamster
Habib the Horrible.
You get the point: the guarantee covers the possibility that the product might not be what you wanted, or that it was somehow defective.
How long is the guarantee good for? Well, we'd like to say "for life," but we really do not want to hear about tangled fringes twenty years from now. Let's just say three months from date of receipt -- unless you can make a very good case why that period should not apply in your case.
- And what am I supposed to do if I'm not "absolutely satisfied"?
- First, contact us about the problem. You can return your purchase for refund or exchange. If you do want to return something, send it to us at
Sunrise Pashmina
511 W. Green St.
Ithaca, NY 14850 USA
Even if your order was shipped from Kathmandu, please don't return it to Nepal. Carefully pack it up so it doesn't get wrinkled, and send it to us by first class mail. And insure it: if something happens and it gets lost or damaged en route to us, we can't cover that cost.
International returns should be sent as small-parcels without letters. Do not send it by courier or Express Mail. On the Customs slip, just write "Merchandise Sample" and for value please write "NCV" (no commercial value); otherwise we'll have to pay import duty on it again, and it may get hung up at a customs office somewhere.
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Okay, tell the truth! You guys write all those ridiculous "fan letters," don't you?
- No.
Does "No" mean "No, we don't write them" or "No, we won't tell the truth"?
"No" means we don't write them. But we do write [most of] these questions.
Anything else? E-mail us: info@sunrise-pashmina.com
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