Finding authentic pashmina in between the plateau of fake, blended, semi branded pashminas is a challenge for everyone in today’s time. The low prices highlight the contradictory reality of the Kashmiri shawl’s fundamental adversary – its mechanised replicas and knockoffs.
For safeguarding the Pashmina art of Kashmir and interest of its makers, the Government of India introduced Geographical Indication (GI) seal as a mark of authenticity certification. This seal on Pashminas implies that it is made of the worlds finest cashmere with a finesse of 15.5 microns or below, handspun, and handwoven traditionally in Kashmir. This GI seal initiative has been a great declaration by the Government of India to bring back the glory of Pashmina art where it belonged We at Pashmina.com , working in knit with the Govt of India initiative to Revive the art of authentic pashminas, have taken upon us to sell only the authentic pashminas & nothing else.
There is a plethora of enchanted beauties of exceptional Pashminas throughout the year in Kashmir, a picturesque valley rightly known as “heaven on earth”. The remarkable talent of the Pashmina weavers with enchanted hands and their artistic ability to bejewel the Pashminas with their imagination has made this Heritage Art exceptionally famous.
The sumptuous Pashmina has enthralled the monarchs as well as the common people across the globe for centuries. The royal identity of this Kashmiri art was discovered in the Mughal era, gaining popularity for its exquisite warmth and softness. Cashmere is found mainly in the regions of Mongolia, China, Iran, India, and Afghanistan. India produces only 1% of the world production that is the finest of all. The luxurious Pashminas are made from this finest cashmere found only in the Himalayas in Ladakh, India. Due to fierce temperatures, the fleece of the Changthangi goats, also known as Capra Hircus species of goats, emerges as the finest and the warmest. The fascinating “soft gold of Asia” is handspun by the women folk in the artisan community and handcrafted over the traditional wooden handlooms by the skilled artisans who have mastered this exquisite art over decades of hard work.
The exceptionally beautiful art of Pashmina that long underpinned entire economy of Kashmir, slowly started collapsing. The glorious reputation that the artisans enjoyed, came crashing down due to Industrial Revolution. When it was a mere fantasy of a common man to own such a luxury with the rarity of the finest Cashmere and rise in popularity among the Royals and Nobles, the markets were flooded with the adulterated machine-made products. This noxious system of over production and consumption not only harmed the artisan communities but also polluted the environment. The artisans lost their privileges as the creators of a rare art, an art that was best known to them.
With an intention to revive the lost glory of Pashmina Art and supporting the artisan community of Kashmir, Varun Kumar, a humanitarian and social entrepreneur, founded Pashmina.com to showcase the genuine handmade wonders to the world. “It is imperative that we help the Kashmiri artisans build up their confidence by exhibiting their fine art to the patrons across the globe so as to preserve our heritage and empower the artisan community,” asserts Varun. Pashmina.com has grown to be the world’s largest curator of real handcrafted wonders, with each piece featuring gorgeous artwork and high-calibre craftsmanship.
Do explore Pashmina.com for a wide range of Authentic Pashminas with personalisation, luxury packaging &complimentary deliveries across the world.
This story has been provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content in this article. (ANI/ATK
