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Luxury handicrafts · 01

Pashmina &
Fine Shawls

Kashmiri Pashmina, Kani and Jamawar — the category with the highest price per gram and the highest rate of misdescription in Indian craft. Everything here turns on proving the fibre.

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A woman spinning wool yarn on a traditional wooden spinning wheel in Agra, India
What we buy

What we buy in this line

  • Pashmina shawlsCashmere from the Changthangi goat, hand-spun and handwoven.
  • Kani shawlsTwill-tapestry woven on the kani technique, the slowest weave in the category.
  • JamawarDensely patterned loom-woven shawls, plain-field through to full-jamawar.
  • Sozni and needleworkFine needle embroidery applied to a woven ground.
  • Stoles and wrapsLighter weights for retail programmes rather than one-off pieces.
  • BlendsPashmina–silk and wool blends, declared as blends and priced as blends.
Acceptance criteria

What we fix before a shawl is woven

Hand-made goods are bought against an approved sample, not a drawing. That only works if what the sample is being judged on is written down before anyone starts.

Fibre identityLaboratory-tested. A GI mark or a supplier declaration is not a test result.
Micron and fibre lengthMean fibre diameter in microns, with the test method named.
Hand-spun or machine-spunStated explicitly — the price difference is several multiples.
Count and weaveYarn count, ends and picks, and whether the weave is hand or power.
Weight and sizeFinished weight in grams and dimensions after washing, not before.
Dye and fastnessDye class with fastness to light, rubbing and washing.
LabellingFibre content wording that satisfies the US Textile Fiber Products Identification Act.

Every criterion above appears in the inspection report as a pass or a fail, with the measurement beside it. Where a criterion is a judgement rather than a number, the judgement is recorded against a retained physical sample.

Risk & compliance

What we screen before a sample is quoted

Fibre substitution

This is the defining fraud of the category. Viscose, merino and nylon are routinely sold as pashmina, and the difference is invisible to the eye and to the hand. We test the fibre in a laboratory before a price is agreed, on every new supplier.

Shahtoosh

Shahtoosh comes from the endangered Tibetan antelope, is banned under CITES, and importing it into the US is a federal offence. Any supplier who offers it is removed from consideration on the spot, for every other line as well.

Mislabelling exposure

US fibre-content labelling rules put the liability on the importer, not the mill. A wrong label is your legal problem, which is why we test rather than trust.

Home-based finishing

Spinning and sozni work happen in homes. We map that chain and state plainly what can and cannot be verified in it.

Where this is made

Clusters we work for this line

SrinagarBudgamGanderbalAmritsarLudhiana

Genuine Kashmiri pashmina production is geographically narrow and slow. A supplier quoting Kashmiri pashmina at volume and short lead time is quoting something else.

Related lines

The other hand-made skills

Banarasi & Silk BrocadeHand-made Patola, Muga & HandloomHand-made Kalamkari & Hand-Printed TextilesHand-made Chikankari & ZardoziHand-made Bidriware & DhokraHand-made Temple Bronze & BrasswareHand-made Meenakari, Thewa & KundanHand-made Jaipur Blue PotteryHand-made Pichwai, Tanjore & MiniatureHand-made Papier-Mâché, Lacquer & WoodHand-made Kashmiri Carpets & RugsHand-made

Send us the sample. We will tell you honestly.

Whether we can source it well in India, what it should cost, and what could go wrong — before you commit to anything.

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