December 14, 2006

Kashmiri shawls were originally manufactured as a male attire. This is still the case today but the influence of western fashion has made the shawls a fashion accessory for women too, writes Rabail Q.


It’s winter time again and woollen sweaters, coats, leather jackets and shawls are out. Shawls have been worn and used as a warm protective garment by kings and queens since times immemorial. Various styles and encouraged weavers to try new motifs, which helped establish a successful shawl industry. The word shawl is derived from Persian word shal, which was the name given to a whole range of fine woollen garments.

Kashmiri shawls have long been treasured for their luxurious materials, splendid designs and brilliant colour combinations. They have become the most well-known and important fashion statement of winters. Not only are they teamed up with shalwar kameez and pants, they are also used as decorative accessories in homes where they are used as wall-hangings and throws for couches.

Kashmiri shawls were originally manufactured as a male attire. This is still the case today but the influence of western fashion has made the shawls a fashion accessory for women, too. During the 19th century, quality Kashmiri shawls were sold in the best fashion houses in Paris, London and New York.

The shawls include wool, pashmina and shahtoosh. The prices of the three cannot be compared –– woollen shawls being within the reach of the most modest budget, and shahtoosh being a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. Woollen shawls are popular because of the embroidery on them, which is unique to Kashmir. Both embroidery and the type of wool used bring about differences in the prices.

Pashmina is unmistakable due to its softness. Its yarn is spun from the hair of the ibex found in the highlands of Ladakh, at 14,000 feet above sea level. Although pure pashmina is expensive, the cost is sometimes brought down by blending it with rabbit fur or with wool. It is on pashmina shawls that Kashmir’s most exquisite embroidery is executed, sometimes covering the entire surface, earning it the name of ‘jamawar’. A jamawar shawl can, by virtue of the embroidery, increase the value of a shawl threefold.

Silk pashmina shawls are a blend of 80 per cent pashmina wool, and 20 per cent silk. The silk is added for strength, weight and shimmer, thereby attaining a perfect combination of finesse and elegance in the shawl –– entirely hand-loomed.

Every shawl is handmade with intricate and meticulous embroidery using the age-old art of needle-stitching. So to put it all together, if Kashmir is heaven on earth, the Kashmiri shawls are definitely a gift from heaven.

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