Pashmina

One fine wool is sheared from a live goat, harmlessly, every spring. A similar-looking wool requires killing an endangered antelope. This article explains the difference, and Pashmina’s own long history.

From Goat To Global Icon

ArtnCulture0083

15TH CENTURY

Craft Founded

Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin brings weavers from Central Asia to Kashmir

16TH CENTURY

Mughal Royal Fame

Court patronage spreads the shawl’s fame across the empire

1975

Shahtoosh Banned

CITES bans the trade in shahtoosh, protecting the Tibetan antelope

9 DEC 2005

Kashmir Pashmina GI Tag

The finished shawl is registered as a Geographical Indication

Sheared, not killed: Genuine Pashmina comes from a goat’s shed winter coat, combed out each spring. Shahtoosh, a banned look-alike, needs 3 to 5 Tibetan antelopes killed for a single shawl.

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Timeline

• In the 15th century, Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin of Kashmir brought weavers from Central Asia to the Valley. He is traditionally credited as the founder of its shawl-weaving craft.
• By the 16th century, Kashmir shawls had reached the Mughal court. Royal patronage under emperors like Akbar spread their fame across the empire.
• In 1975, the CITES treaty banned international trade in shahtoosh, a similar-looking wool that requires killing the Tibetan antelope.
• On 9 December 2005, Kashmir Pashmina was registered under India’s Geographical Indications of Goods Act.

Must Know

• Pashmina is a fine wool combed from the undercoat of the Changthangi goat. This goat is native to the Changthang plateau in Ladakh, at altitudes above 14,000 feet.
• Changpa nomadic herders raise these goats. Each goat sheds only about 170 grams of this fine undercoat each spring, so a single shawl needs wool from 3 to 4 goats.
• The raw wool is spun and woven into finished shawls in Kashmir. Kashmir Pashmina, the finished product, got its GI tag in 2005.
• Kashmiri artisans use two distinct techniques: Kani (the pattern is woven directly into the fabric on a loom) and Sozni (a fine needle embroiders a pattern onto an already-woven shawl).

Good to Know

• Shahtoosh comes from the Tibetan antelope, or chiru. Unlike a goat, the animal must be killed to obtain its wool. It takes 3 to 5 antelopes for one shawl.
• The chiru is protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the law’s highest protection level. Shahtoosh is often smuggled disguised as genuine Pashmina, since the two wools look and feel similar.
• In October 2024, Ladakh Pashmina, the raw wool itself, received its own separate GI tag. This is distinct from Kashmir Pashmina’s 2005 tag, which covers the finished, woven shawl.
• Kashmir’s teardrop-shaped shawl motif, called boteh, became globally famous as the “paisley” pattern. Mills in Paisley, Scotland mass-produced imitation shawls carrying this motif through the 19th century.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Pashmina wool is combed from the undercoat of which animal?

Merino sheep

Changthangi goat

Tibetan antelope (chiru)

Yak

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Great to Know

• Kashmir Pashmina and Ladakh Pashmina’s two separate GI tags reflect one supply chain, split across two regions. Ladakh supplies the raw fibre; Kashmir supplies the weaving and finishing craft.
• The sheared-versus-killed distinction is the real dividing line between Pashmina and shahtoosh. It is also why genuine Pashmina carries no conservation controversy, while shahtoosh remains illegal.
• GI protection exists partly to fight machine-made or synthetic imitations sold under the “pashmina” label. A legal designation like this only works if buyers and regulators can trace a product back to its real origin.