What is "Pashmina"?
Pashmina is the most luxurious, softest, warmest and
lightest natural fiber in the world, and comes from the Capra-Hircus goat. This
is the same goat where cashmere comes from. The difference is that the pashmina
only comes from goats resident above about 15,000 feet, and it only comes from
the one part of the neck. The higher the goats live, the finer their hair.
Genuine pashmina fibres are always less than 14.5 microns in diameter, or about
1/6th the size of human hair.
It is hand-woven by skilled Nepali craftsmen in to wonderful shawls. Each shawls
takes many man hours to complete. From the combing of the goat to collect the
fur, through hand weaving, dying and finishing. Therefore every shawl is unique.
Some places do sell machine made shawls, but the weave can never be as strong as
with a hand made shawl.
They have been popular amongst the Indian aristocracy for 500 years, and demand
in the west has been massively increasing since they were first paraded on the
catwalks of
How fine is
Pashmina exactly?
A
human hair is about 75 microns thick. Our Pashmina fibers imported from Mongolia
and Tibet are 12 - 14 microns thick.
How is
Pashmina blended with silk to make a Pashmina shawl?
Silk
yarn (Name of Silk Yarn: Spun Silk Yarn) is woven with Pashmina wool such that
the material in warp (length-wise) is silk yarn and the material in weft
(breadth-wise) is Pashmina. The most common blend contains 70% Pashmina and 30%
silk by weight. Along with the 70/30 blend, Nepal Pashmina also produces 50/50
blend and 100% pure Pashmina shawls. 100% Pashmina is warmer than the lower
quality blends but its texture is less silky. Pashmina is combined with Silk to
create a yarn with "durability and luster" and heavenly feel.
Specification of our Pashmina: -
What different types
of pashmina do you sell? What is the best?
The best selling pashminas are those that are a blend of 70% pashmina wool, and
30% silk. The silk is added for strength. It also adds a bit of weight and a
shimmer, so the shawl hangs very nicely.
Personally, and being a practical male, I prefer the 100% pure pashmina shawls.
They are softer, lighter and warmer, although they don't shimmer, or hang as
well. You'd be amazed how quickly you warm up with one of these around your
neck.
All of the shawls we sell are 2 ply. This means one fiber is wound around
another one before the cloth is woven. We can supply one ply, or ring shawls if
you want. They do look very nice and I'm told they'll pass through a ring.
Why
is our Pashmina shawl a must-buy?
Pashmina is a fine trendiest fashion fabric of this modern era. The elegance of
Pashmina is unmatched. Combine the beauty of Pashmina with the warmth it
provides, and there can be no better choice for an outerwear. It is a strong yet
supple, lightweight and luxurious wrap for evening and daytime wear. What's
more, Hot Pashmina offers its shawls at the most affordable prices.