BackLounge Loves | Shahmina shawls
Luxurious shawls made of an ethically correct fibre, with the softness and warmth of 'shahtoosh' and 'pashmina'
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The wonders of wool
Luxury fuels its demand in the absence of need, and often has a story worth telling. Shahmina, a cross between the shahtoosh and pashmina wool fibres, surely does. Shahtoosh, derived from the tender down hair of the Tibetan chiru antelope, has been banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species since 1979—the animal was being hunted for wool—but the demand for fine woollen shawls has only increased all over the globe.
So pashmina, very delicate cashmere wool from the pashmina goat found in the higher regions of Nepal and Kashmir, has become a much exploited word in ethnic markets from McLeodganj to Goa and the local bazaars of Delhi. Small placards everywhere hawk “pure pashmina" but many of the products are not authentic. Also luring the budget consumer is the cheaper “semi-pashmina" which, as any true-blooded Kashmiri craftsperson will tell you, is a misnomer. “There is nothing like semi-pashmina—it is just a market-made word for pashmina mixed with wool or a softer quality of wool," says Srinagar-based Tariq Kathwari, owner of the website www.kathwariofkashmir.com that sells Kashmir-made goods, including antique and contemporary handwoven carpets. “Most traders claiming to sell pure pashmina may be selling shahmina, popularly called shimina," adds Kathwari.
“Shahmina it is," says Dhruv Chandra of Delhi’s well-known store The Carpet Cellar, which has a deep inventory of tribal carpets and silken carpets, dhurries, Persian rugs, antique Kashmiri shawls and stoles. “Shahmina fibre has 13.5 micron fibres of wool per strand sheared from baby lambs in ethically correct conditions," says Chandra. Technically, shahmina is closest to shahtoosh, whose fibre ranges between 12-14 microns(the lower the micron count, the finer the fibre). The Carpet Cellar supplies shahmina to Western markets, including brands like Cerruti, Loro Piana and Ralph Lauren, which use it for ready-to-wear garments, not just drapes. Global luxury houses which scrutinize fabrics under microscopic quality control tests to assess authenticity now greatly favour shahmina given the luxuriousness of the texture and its customer-friendly cost.
A shahmina shawl is soft to the touch, offers a luxury experience, and the most elegant ones are in natural shades with broad white panels. At The Carpet Cellar you also find numerous dyed versions in mustards, reds, pretty blush pinks, blues, mauves and textured blacks.
Kathwari says even pure pashmina is best bought in natural colours without any embroidery. “It is the softest wool one can buy, it is hand-spunby expert weavers and so fine that it is difficult to do embroidery on it," he says. On the other hand, Chandra alerts customers to guard against “Ludhiana-made Kashmiri shawls", especially the machine-embroidered ones, adding that it is a good idea to buy from stores that guarantee a quality-controlled process.
Shahmina stoles (for men and women) are priced at ₹ 8,500 and shawls at ₹ 14,500 at The Carpet Cellar, 1, Anand Lok, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi (011-41641777). On Kathwariofkashmir.com, shahmina shawls cost ₹ 10,000-15,000.
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