Pashmina is simply the indigenous
word for cashmere, a fabric woven from the wool of certain high-elevation domestic goat breeds. The term cashmere was applied by European
colonialists to this fabric because it was known primarily as a product of
Kashmir, the disputed territory in northwest India.
These days, the word is a serious can of worms. It can be used to refer to almost any shawl, particularly one with fringes. Even those who are aware that the word at its most restrictive refers to cashmere are willing to use it to refer to blends of silk and pashmina. And according to American law (as well as commerce regulators in many other countries), the word pashmina has no meeting at all.
Oh well. Let's unscramble the facts.
Pashmina goats in Jammu and Kashmir, courtesy of Wikipedia
20 Myths about pashmina
Myth #1: Pashmina is different from, and better than, cashmere.
Briefly, pashmina is cashmere, which is the fiber or fabric woven from fiber deriving from the undercoat of certain high-elevation (and therefore long-haired) breeds of domestic goat.
Myth #2: Pashmina is produced only by a special goat known as Capra hircus or Capra aegagrus hircus.
Capra hircus is just the scientific name (genus and species) for domesticated goats in general. Since Capra hircus hype looms large in the claims about the remarkable nature of pashmina, we will offer a few notes from the current literature.
Taxonomical nomenclature is somewhat slippery, as the field is rapidly evolving both in what is being discovered in individual genomes and in the artificial framework into which we try to stuff all these refractory findings. The lineage of known goats, antelopes and sheep is still not fully settled. Previously, goats were classified as "caprids" (members of the family Capridae), but they have now been demoted to "caprines" (or Caprini), a tribe within the caprines (or Caprinae) which is a subfamily of the Bovidae. This tribe includes both sheep and goats.
Within the Caprini there are several genera, one of which is the genus Capra, a group that includes a number of ibex species, the stunning markhor, and also the Wild Goat, Capra aegagrus. The domestic subspecies of the wild goat is Capra aegagrus hircus, which itself includes over 300 breeds. A dozen or so breeds are used for fiber, notably the Angora, which produces mohair, and several others that produces cashmere. Cashmere breeds are found in Ladakh, Jammu-Kashmir, Mongolia, Tibet, Australia, and elsewhere. You sometimes see references to the pashmina goat as Capra hircus laniger (i.e., wool-bearing); that is merely an affectation, as the term laniger has no scientific standing in this context.
Shockingly, the names themselves contribute little to the discussion. Capra, caprine, and caprid all derive from the Latin for goat. Aegagrus comes from a Greek root meaning goat; the importance of goats to eastern Mediterranean culture is evident in the appearance of this same root in Aegean [Sea], Aegis [Zeus's goatskin shield], and tragedy [male-goat-singing]. In any case, there is no taxonomical basis for assigning some kind of privilege to the pashmina or cashmere goat.
Myth #3: Pashmina is produced only in the high Himalayas.
There are many goat breeds with fine undercoats, and they are raised in China, Mongolia, Australia, the United States, India (particularly Ladakh), and elsewhere. The huge preponderance of cashmere yarn fabric now comes from China.
Myth #4: Pashmina wool is plucked only from the undercoat of the throat and chest of the animal.
Just not true. The undercoat extends around the whole animal, more or less, and none of it is intentionally wasted.
Myth #5: Real pashmina is produced only in Kashmir.
Kashmir (in India) has prevailed in an epic trade dispute with the result that the word "pashmina" is considered to belong to Kashmiri cashmere producers. Nepal had to settle for chyangra pashmina, which means "goat cashmere." Potato, potahto.
And furthermore: Isn't it kind of ironic that the trade association charged with enforcing the chyangra pashmina trademark is called the Nepal Pashmina Industries Association? Why isn't it called the Nepal Chyangra Pashmina Industries Association?? As far as we're concerned, the question is moot. It's like Egypt trying to claim that only Egyptian cotton can be called "cotton," while we Americans have to settle for Dixie Cotton.
And meanwhile, it is most likely that the largest proportion of pashmina yarn used in India (including Kashmir) is produced in China. Welcome to globalization.
Myth #6: A fullsize pashmina is too big for a petite woman.
Pashmina shawls are customarily quite large. The usual fullsize is approximately 95 X 203 cm (36" x 80"). But even Asian women, who are typically rather small, wear fullsize shawls quite comfortably; because of the light weight of the fabric, the shawls can easily be folded lengthwise and/or widthwise, so that the generous dimensions are never a liability. What we call "medium-size" is not much smaller: the same length, and only 20 cm (8") narrower.
Myth #7: In pashmina, more plies is better.
Threads can be twisted together to make thicker threads, which can then produce thicker fabrics. On the other hand, there is no need to twist threads together, when the individual thread can be made any desired thickness. Furthermore, fabrics can be made more dense by packing the threads closer together (i.e., using four paddles instead of two). These days very few shawl producers in Kathmandu are using true double-ply yarn. In fact, multiple-ply yarn is now used almost exclusively for knitted goods. One further remark: in pashmina shawls, more is not better. If it were, you guys would be wearing bed-spreads or horse-blankets, rather than shawls. The modern pashmina shawl has evolved to meet women's need for a warm and light wrap. The paddle-adjusted shawl may be a shade less dense than a double-ply, but it has undoubtedly achieved its international success due to the fact that it so successfully achieves the desired balance of warmth and weight.
Myth #8: Water pashmina is a special, highly luxurious, type of pashmina.
That shimmery look can come from anything but pashmina, which has a dull matte finish. Usually it's from some synthetic derived from petrochemicals. Yuck.
Myth #9: True Nepalese pashmina, or chyangra pashmina, is different and better than ordinary pashmina.
No. It's the same as pashmina, or cashmere. Kashmiri interests lobbied successfully for the "pashmina" trademark, and in 2011 the Nepalese production group settled for chyangra pashmina. With no laboratory capable of monitoring quality anywhere in the region, the entire issue is bogus.
Myth #10: Pashmina should only be drycleaned.
Drycleaning can be tough on delicate fabrics. Best bet: hand wash in mild soap. See our page How to Wash Pashmina.
Myth #11: In pashmina, as in all luxury goods, you get what you pay for.
Au contraire. You pay mostly for the brand name, and the advertising that props it up. Pashmina yarn is not cheap, and you can be sure that anything you get for ten dollars outside of Port Authority bus terminal in NYC is synthetic. Likewise, all those cheap e-Bay and Amazon pashminas. Our stuff isn't the cheapest on the market, and some of the cheaper stuff may be just as good (not better). We try to give our producers a fair return on their labor and their capital, and we're trying not to go broke ourselves. If we do get rich (unlikely!) we'd like it to be because of our volume, not our profit margin.
Myth #12: Real pashmina must have twisted and knotted tassels.
Not true. In fact, the ragged look ("eyelash fringe") is gaining in popularity, and is probably more authentic, historically.
Myth #13: Machine-loomed pashmina is superior to hand-loomed pashmina.
Machines can produce straighter lines and fewer "mistakes." But the warp threads have to be strung at a lower tension in order to prevent disruptive breaks, yielding a looser fabric. Also, as with carpets, the soulless machine-made version of the traditional pashmina shawl is considered inauthentic. Does authenticity matter?
Myth #14: Hand-loomed pashmina is superior to machine-loomed pashmina.
Depends on the competence of the weaver. Weaving pashmina is a skill that takes some time to perfect. Quality control is key. If a producer is just trying to increase output, the quality is going to reflect that.
Myth #15: High-quality pashmina doesn't pill.
Those little bugger-size balls are caused by abrasion (rubbing). If you wear your pash under a heavy coat, you're probably going to get pill issues.
Myth #16: The best quality pashmina is fluffy like a kitten.
No. Pashmina gets softer with use. Producers recognize that Westerners doen't understand this, so they use chemical softeners and some of them even brush the pashmina to make it fluffy. Brushing weakens the fabric.
Myth #17: The best quality pashmina at the best price is found in Kathmandu.
You might find a good deal, but the competition among pash dealers is intense, and the result is a race to the bottom. Most of the stuff is mediocre quality, adulterated, mislabeled, and overpriced. Sorry. You really need to know the product, or at least know someone who does.
Myth #18: Ritzy New York department stores can be trusted to have the best quality pashmina.
Nah. They need quantity and consistency. The only way they can get that is with machine looms. So they produce regular-looking fabric, but it's never the best.
Myth #19: 100% pashmina means pure pashmina.
American import standards (never enforced!) allowed about 3% impurities. Chinese manufacturers admit a similar rate of adulteration, and cheating is rampant. Can you feel the 5% sheep wool content? Probably not. But you can see the stiff guard hairs and straw in some fabric.
Myth #20: A sewn-on tag is proof of pashmina quality.
Yeah, right!
Is Shahtoosh the same as Pashmina?
by Karl Spilhaus, president of the
Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute
Shahtoosh (Persian for "King fabric") is a term used for a fiber and fabric derived from the undercoat of an endangered Tibetan antelope, the chiru, and is illegal in most Western countries, but easily obtainable in India. It is much more expensive than pashmina. And did we mention that it is illegal?
Above: endangered chiru antelope
The terms, "Pashmina" and "Cashmere" are synonymous for soft, fine, high-quality fiber. The ancient name of the precious shawls still made by hand in the Central Asian regions is called "Pashmina." "Cashmere" is the internationally accepted term for the fiber content designation on labeling cashmere products and goods. Pashmina is accepted as a marketing term but is not recognized as a fiber designation under the Wool Products Labeling Act of the Federal Trade Commission. (Please see our web site for further details on the cashmere goat, Wool Products Labeling Act and the Federal Trade Commission or contact CCHMI).
Cashmere fibers are removed from live goats — the animals are not harmed nor are they slaughtered. The herders live in communion with their goats; although it is a difficult life for the herders and goats living in the frigid Mongolian winter months, the lives of the herders and animals are respected. "Shatoosh" is not cashmere or pashmina.
The term, "Shatoosh" describes the fine hair from the Tibetan antelope or chiru, which is being slaughtered for this hair and is traded illegally under Chinese and international law.
It is illegal to import or trade Shatoosh in the United States. Retailers and testing laboratories worldwide are encouraged to contact their countries customs department should they come across shatoosh products.
The following notes are drawn from an account of Kashmiri shawl production in Anamika Pathak's Pashmina. Pathak describes the traditional preparation of Kashmiri pashmina, and we cannot be certain how similar it is to the production of the pashmina yarn used in Nepal, which is imported from China.
Production of pashmina shawls
The primary source of wool is the domesticated goat Capra hircus. This wool is called pashm.
The word shahtoosh derives from shah (king) and tus (wool), and refers to the highest quality fabric, which was reserved only for royalty. Although historically (and perhaps currently) other wild species are used as well, shahtoosh wool is derived primarily from the endangered Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), more commonly known by the Tibetan name chiru. It is illegal in most countries.
The domesticated shawl goats have an outer coat composed of short and relatively brittle guard hairs, and a softer inner coat. The best quality fiber comes from the area under the neck and belly.
The goat is sheared once a year, at the beginning of the summer. A knife is used rather than scissors, because the scissors allow the inner and outer layers of fleece mix. A knife is used to remove the outer coat first, and then the inner fleece is combed toward the head and carefully cut off.
Despite the care and skill of shearers, there is always some outer hair mixed into the finer fleece, and this has to be removed by hand.
The raw wool is sorted according to quality and fiber length. Individual hairs may be as long as 40 cm (16").
The sorted fibers are washed with plain water to get rid of dust and plant matter. Soap is not used, as it makes the wool harsher.
The cleaned wool is teased between two wooden combs to loosen and separate tangled fibers.
Prior to spinning, the cleaned wool is spread out and rubbed with a paste of pounded rice and water. Once dried and teased again, the toughened wool is ready for spinning into yarn.
Two qualities of thread were spun. The warp thread, which is subject to more tension than the weft, is prepared with a greater number of twists. The weft thread is less intensively twisted, so that it retains a fluffier texture.
About the word shawl...
Source: Pashmina by Anamika Pathak
The word shawl is derived from the Indo-Persian word shal, which meant a fine woven woolen fabric used as a drape. The Italian traveler Pietro della Valle, in 1623, observed that whereas in Persia the scial or shawl was worn as a girdle, in India it was more usually carried 'acrosss the shoulders'. The shal, shawl or do-shalla (the Hindi term for shawl) has a long history. Although its origins are popularly traced to the medieval period, archaeological findings, ancient literary references, and travellers' accounts provide ample evidence of the existence of the woollen tradition in India right from the Indus Civilization (2700-2000 B.C.)
In the photo above, a street merchant sells "pashmina" shawls in the
Asan Tole bazaar of Kathmandu. Most of his shawls are actually made
from sheep's wool, cotton, or acrylic.
If you Google pashmina, a number of commonly asked questions pop up. Most of the answers given are a bit off. Here's our take on some of them:
Those Google Questions
Why are Pashmina shawls banned?
They're not. Shahtoosh is, though. Shahtoosh fabric (also used to make shawls) is made from the fleece of the endangered Tibetan antelope known as chiru. Shahtoosh shawls might possibly be mistaken for pashmina (which is actually cashmere, and woven from the wool of certain breeds of domestic goat) except that shahtoosh costs thousands of dollars, and is unlikely to be sold openly.
What is the difference between a scarf and a pashmina?
That's kind of like asking the difference between a bath mat and a Persian carpet, but not so easy to answer. The word scarf is generally used for any cloth accessory worn primarily around the neck. It might be made of any fabric, and have nearly any dimensions, but is usually longer than wide. Usually. A pashmina (in the strict sense) is a wrap made out of cashmere (the undercoat of the cashmere goat). Usually the dimensions are quite generous: weavers and sellers in Nepal and India normally refer to the larger size (80 by 36 inches) as a shawl; in their parlance, a stole is somewhat narrower (80 by 28 inches), and a scarf is about 24 inches wide. The length of a stole or scarf may be as short as 72 inches. What we would call a scarf, a wrap 12 to 16 inches wide and about six feet long, is referred to as a muffler. Pashminas of all sizes often -- but not always -- are fringed at the narrower ends.
To complicate matters, the word pashmina has been generalized to refer to any largish shawl, particularly those with fringes. The cheaper variety sold for $5 or $10 are usually acrylic or some other synthetic fabric. They are not made of cashmere wool. Pashmina itself is not recognized legally in the United States as a fabric or yarn: the correct term is cashmere.
Should be "are," not "is." Yes, essentially. See above.
How is a stole worn?
Stole is a term applied to a lot of different things, notably to disgusting strings of mink pelts, often with paws and head still attached. As vegans, we try not to participate in such issues. If the question is intended to refer to pashmina wraps, there are dozens of styles, and we would refer the querier to our page howtowearpashmina.html.
How do you know if a pashmina is pure?
This question begs a lot of other questions, which we'll start with. Then we'll consider the elephant in the room, which is the Wikihow article on this topic.
First question is what do you mean by a pashmina? Anything that looks like a pashmina (generally, a big shawl with fringe) can be called a pashmina, without having any cashmere content at all, and you need to be aware of that because the seller might possibly try to trick you. Or not. If the pashmina costs $5, everyone understands it's not cashmere... but it can still be called a pashmina, colloquially.
Blends of silk and cashmere are more common than pure cashmere, and the seller (or label) is likely to be upfront about that. These blends are easy to recognize, because the silk gives the fabric a slight sheen, greater strength and a flatter weave. So the question might be, how can you tell whether the so-called pashmina content is actually 100% pure cashmere. Good luck on that!
The fact is that both American and Chinese regulations allow a certain percentage of non-cashmere fiber. That percentage may be goat hair that is above the acceptable diameter (especially guard hairs), or adulterations of various sorts: the Chinese are good at de-scaling merino (sheep) wool to make it look and feel like goat wool. Fabric that has only 3% (or, according to some standards 5%) of such impurities can still be characterized as pure cashmere. In fact, it may be that 100% pure cashmere is not available on the open market. Nepalese weavers cannot detect the tiny amount of impurities allowed in Grade A pashmina, and there is virtually no scientific testing being done anywhere. We've gotten a few tests done by Ken Langley, a professor recommended by the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute, but his test involves cutting off a palm-sized swatch of your shawl, which may defeat your purpose.
If you are buying a pashmina in the USA or Europe, consider your source. A store or online purveyor that has a stable presence is not likely to risk their survival by selling bogus pash as the real stuff. But, as we say elsewhere, there is a wide range of stuff that can legitimately be characterized as authentic pashmina. If you can feel the difference between good cashmere and inferior stuff, you don't need our advice. If you can't, maybe you shouldn't worry about whether you're getting pure pashmina.
If, on the other hand, you are shopping in Nepal, you need to know a lot more about the market, and you should read our brilliant and comprehensive guide in Wandering Educators.
Thoughts on Wikihow
Wikihow says a slight sheen is possible, but most authentic pieces bear a matte appearance. That's just wrong. Cashmere has no sheen. If it is blended with silk, there is a sheen. If it's synthetic, there may be a great deal of sheen.
Wikihow says to check the diameter of the fiber, as if all sellers will state it (or even know it). That, too, is just wrong. We don't know. We have no way of checking.
Wikihow says to check the weave: if it's not irregular, it's not handloomed, and it's not authentic. Yet again, wrong. We sell handloomed stuff and there are irregularities (which you may or may not be able to spot), but there are lots of companies that sell totally pure machine-loomed pashminas. We prefer handloomed for several reasons, but "purity" is not one.
Wikihow says to try the burn test. Okay, forget using the microwave, as they suggest. You can just put a match or lighter to a single fiber (after you extricate it from the shawl -- which you should NOT do yourself unless you've already paid for it!); acrylic will ball up, while animal hair will form an oily ash. A trained schnoz can distinguish goat smell from sheep, but if you have that kind of sensitivity already, you don't need any advice from us.
Wikihow says to check the size and ply -- that it should be 36 by 80 inches, and not a high ply number. Really?? That's like saying if the wheels aren't 26 inches, it's not a bicycle. The most popular dimensions these days seem to be 28 by 80 inches (so-called stole size). Double-ply is not that common in genuine pashmina, but it's not inauthentic - nor is it better.
Wikihow says to check for sparks when you rub the shawl in the dark. They say synthetics build up static electricity and imply that pashmina doesn't. We're not sure if this is totally true. Maybe. We don't like to rub our shawls together, but we'll let you know if and when we do.
Wikihow says 100% pash always pills. Really? We've only heard of a couple of cases of egregious pilling, and it seems those shawls may have been worn under coats, which is not recommended. If our shawls were as pilly as Wikihow suggests, we'd call it quits. In fact, the pilliest garments I've ever seen were synthetic double-knits, so I don't see how useful this advice could be.
Wikihow says to "Check if it has anything glued on it. Only a fake material will come with some kind of label or tag glued on it because it is not possible otherwise. You can never stick a thing on real cashmere. Glue won’t stand on it for long." That really is crazy. Who glues labels on shawls? They're always sewn on, and we tell our producer not to do that because we think those labels look tacky.
The takeaway? If you can't feel the difference between top quality cashmere and other materials, you should probably let your wife do her own shopping. She's more likely to get the right color, anyway.
You say pashima, we say...
How many ways can this word be mispronounced and misspelled? Here are a few that
we've seen:
We don't really care how you spell it. We're just listing these
so that if someone googles one of them, we've got an edge over those hardline companies that recognize only one "correct"
spelling.
Contact Us
Email Seth at seth@sunrise-pashmina.com
Or call us at (607) 256-0102. Night or day.
If we can't answer immediately, we'll get back to you. Soon.
Sunrise Pashmina
511 W. Green St.
Ithaca,
NY 14850 USA
