Author: Seth Sicroff
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Can AI Authenticate Pashmina in a Photo?
Assessing the Prospects of PashmNet Offhand, it sounds nuts. Even an experienced pashmina vendor is sometimes unsure about a fabric that he or she is actually touching. How could a conventional photograph possibly be more certain? Before pashmina can be assessed, the term has to be defined. The word may refer to the fine undercoat…
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Prolegomenon to Pashmina Dreams
Concerning squishy terms and numbers Abstract The National Pashmina Sector Export Strategy 2022–2026 appears to tell a coherent story: Nepal will strengthen Chyangra-fiber production, fill missing links in the domestic value chain, promote Chyangra Pashmina, and raise exports to US$75 million. Critiquing that story, however, requires more certainty than the available words and numbers always…
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Who Gets to Call It Pashmina?
A prolegomenon to Pashmina as Nepal’s Flagship Export Working article. This essay is being expanded and source-checked as I work through the legal and commercial history of pashmina terminology. A few terms before we begin Language at large. Words ordinarily belong to their users, not to an owner. Usage can be ambiguous, shifting, or simply…
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Three Sisters
A project to link Istanbul, Kathmandu and New York City Mountain Sisters is an initiative to connect communities with a stake in mountain stewardship. That stake may be due to their location within or at the gateway to mountainous regions, or they may have important research institutes focusing on mountains, or they may have substantial…
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Pashmina as Nepal’s Flagship Export
Impediments and Accelerants Seth Sicroff, PhDMountain Legacy InternationalPresented at the IGU Conference, Istanbul · 17 August 2026 This talk was adapted from a much longer article previously posted to this blog. My primary interest in Nepal is mountain stewardship. So it may seem odd that I focus on pashmina, a textile industry centered in…
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Pashmina Dreams
Nepal’s Five-Year Pashmina Plan Meets Reality There has been a good deal of nervous chatter lately about Nepal’s pashmina industry, much of it surrounding the National Pashmina Sector Export Strategy 2022–2026, developed by the Government of Nepal with support from the International Trade Centre and the European Union. The attention can seem disproportionate. Pashmina is an…
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How do I know if it’s real Pashmina?
A buyer’s guide to authenticity If you’re investing in a pashmina shawl, whether a well-deserved Valentine’s Day gift for yourself or a present for your surgeon after a successful bypass, you want to be confident you’re getting genuine quality—not just a nice piece of cloth but an authentically scrumptious gem that will be treasured for…
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Nepal tourism: a legacy of reimagination
Speech given by Dr. Seth Sicroff at “Reimagine Yourself… in Nepal” event organized by Bishnu Gautam Consul General of Nepal in New York in Manhatton on March 30, 2023 There are many beautiful countries. There are many countries with fascinating cultures. There are many inexpensive destinations. But Nepal has another asset of unparalleled value. It…
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What is Pashmina?
The word “pashmina” as used in contemporary English has four common meanings: Current usage of the term “pashmina” 1) A pashmina goat is a cashmere goat. The scientific name for all domestic goats is Capra hircus (“laniger” has no standing as a scientific name with regards to goats.) There are about three hundred breeds of domesticated goats worldwide,…
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Namche! Kukur Ho!
In 1988, an Irish Wolfhound named Namche caused a sensation on the trail to Everest—and inspired an idea for Sunrise Pashmina decades later.