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Pashmina is a kind of fabric. It
is very soft , warm and most luxurious wool all over the world. The word
Pashmina is derived from the Persian word pashm . In
Persian language PASH means wool which also refers to the inner coat of hair on
animals as finest wool fiber.The inner coat of hair is called pashmina.
Pashmina is the best insulation all over the world. Pashmina comes
from Himalayan goats called Capra Hircus.
These goats are available in Himalayan region. The wool from Capra Hircus is
better than wool of any other goat. One pashmina In the Himalayas where
temprature is too low the survival of goats is possible because of their inner
coat of hair ie pashmina. One goat can deliver 5 to 8 ounce pashmina
per year. The Pashmina fibre is approximate 15 microns in thickness which is
approximately 5 times thinner then human body hairs, That is
why pashmina is very fine fabrics.
Pashmina is delicate soft fiber
which gives soft touch to human body. In olden days EMPERORS or RULERS are
wearing pashmina cloths because pashmina was too expensive and only royal
families can offered to wear pashmina clothes. This precious Pashmina fabric
was also known as FIBRE FOR Emperors.
In olden days, Pashmina clothes were hand woven by traditional weavers and now
their next generations are in the same profession. In today’s commercial
market, pashmina is usually available with wool and silk. Pure pashmina is too
light.To make it more strengthen and durable silk is added in pashmina.
Pashmina shawls, stoles and scarfs are widely available in Single-ply
and Two-ply with different content of silk in different colors and
thickness.
Pashmina is the current buzzword of the fashion
industry and this season’s must have for the status seekers. The
pashmina wrap is now regarded as an essential component of the modern
woman’s wardrobe. A simple shawl costs $500.00 and can be found popping
up everywhere…from Nieman Marcus to ebay.com, in fashion magazines and
on celebrities.
Pashmina is the finest wool shorn from the soft undercoat (neck and belly) of
Himalayan mountain goats. Touted to be lighter, softer and finer than
cashmere, pashmina has a texture so fine “it is the fiber equivalent of
meringue” according to Veronica Chambers of Newsweek magazine. Designer
Gabriele Sanders, known for her embroidered pashmina shawls says,
“pashmina makes regular cashmere feel like cardboard.” The
feather light fiber is extraordinarily soft and light, yet exceptionally warm.
Discovered by the fashion world only in the
past year, pashmina has been a status symbol in the East for hundreds of
years. In India and Nepal, a pashmina blanket was an essential component
of a wealthy woman’s dowry. Shawls and blankets woven from pashmina
wool have been adored for centuries in the Far East. And like other
things rarefied and Eastern, it’s been translated eagerly into Western
decadence.
But according to Karl Spilhaus, president of
Boston’s Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute, “Pashmina
is just cashmere…there’s no difference. Pashmina is simply the
Indian word for cashmere.” He contributes all the hype to the
aggressive marketing of pashmina. Spilhaus stresses that the better made
pashminas are not rip-offs at all: “A good quality cashmere
shawl is worth very dime you pay for it, and it will last you a
lifetime.”
Kenneth Langley, professor of textile
sciences at the University of Massachusetts, agrees with Spilhaus.
“Cashmere fibers have a unique appearance under the microscope…and
pashmina fibers look exactly like cashmere fibers.” Langley also
says pashmina wool does not just come from the neck and belly. He claims
the fibers are combed from the goat when they are molting. “You
obviously get as much as you can, and do not pick a place.”
The pashmina shawl trend has sparked an
interest in shawls of all descriptions. The pashmina shawls are
versatile, all-season pieces that may be worn over a bare or sleeveless dress
on a cool summer night, with a suit in the fall, and with a coat in
winter. The shawl can be wrapped around the upper body and worn as you
would a jacket. The can be worn as a muffler around the neck or wrapped
at the waist. Pashmina is often blended with silk, which sound more
luxurious, but is not as good. It does make it lighter, but also makes it
cheaper.
In fact there is something even more
luxurious than pashmina…but it’s illegal. It is called
shahtoosh, and it comes from the fur of a chiru, an endangered Tibetan
antelope. A pure shahtoosh wrap is sometimes called a ring scarf because it is
so fine and delicate that a whole shawl can easily be slipped through a wedding
ring. It is also touted to be warm enough to hatch a pigeon’s
egg. To clip the hair, hunters kill the animal. An estimated three
to five chirus are killed for each shawl. It is illegal to buy or sell
shahtoosh under the U.N.Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species.
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