From Ladakh to Your Home - The Journey of a Luxury Pashmina
Every pashmina shawl making its way to a wardrobe in London, Birmingham or Edinburgh has already lived a long, incredible journey - beginning among the snowy mountains of Ladakh and ending in the warm hands of Kashmiri artisans.
This is the story of that journey.
1. Birth in the Harshest Mountains
Pashmina begins with the Changthangi goat, native to the high-altitude plateaus of Ladakh. At 12,000–15,000 feet, temperatures drop to –40°C. To survive, the goat grows the softest insulating down known to humans.
This under-fleece, collected only once a year, is where pashmina is born.
2. Ethical Combing by Changpa Herders
The nomadic Changpa tribes carefully comb the fleece by hand each spring. The goats are never harmed - pashmina is an ethical, cruelty-free fibre.
The raw pashm is collected, cleaned, and packed for its long journey to Kashmir.
3. Travel Across Mountains
Caravans historically carried pashm across the Zojila Pass into Kashmir. Today, the journey is faster but the essence remains the same: raw pashm travels from Ladakh’s highlands to Kashmir’s artisan villages.
4. Hand-Spinning: The Fibre Comes Alive
In Kashmir, women artisans spin the fibre into delicate yarn on a wooden yinder (spindle).
While cashmere can be machine-spun, true pashmina cannot - it is too fine.
Each spool takes hours of careful work.
5. Hand-Weaving: The Heart of the Craft
Master weavers use wooden looms to weave the yarn into fabric.
The process is slow, intentional, and meditative.
Depending on the design, weaving may take:
- 2 weeks for a plain shawl
- months for a Kani shawl
- up to a year for intricate designs
This is where the fabric gains its soul.
6. Dyeing, Washing & Finishing
The woven shawl is washed gently, dyed using traditional or azo-free dyes and finished to achieve the soft, buttery drape that pashmina is known for.
7. Embroidery: The Final Poetry
Sozni embroiderers - the finest needle artisans in India - add motifs, vines and paisleys by hand.
An embroidered Pashmina is a wearable artwork.
8. To Your Home: A Piece of the Himalayas
At Peepal Haveli, we curate thoughtfully designed shawls and stoles inspired by India’s rich textile aesthetics, selected for their detail, quality and timeless appeal.
Your shawl carries:
- Himalayan origins
- Ladakhi purity
- Kashmiri artistry
- centuries of tradition
- sustainable craftsmanship
Conclusion
A real pashmina’s journey is not from a factory to a shop.
It is from the mountains to the loom to your hands.
That is what makes it rare.
That is what makes it meaningful.