‘A legacy of love, heritage and timeless style’: Janhvi Kapoor honours late mother Sridevi by wearing her archival heirloom pashmina sari

The designer took to Instagram to share that Sridevi had first worn their “royal blue pashmina #MMSaree in 2017” and the surface of the fabric was embroidered with gold tilla and chinar motifs, “a meditation on Kashmiri craft and centuries of artistry”.

Calling it “a legacy of love, heritage and timeless style passed from mother to daughter”, Malhotra mentioned that this one is really special to him.

“Coming full circle… @janhvikapoor 🩷wore the same saree for the premiere of @homeboundthefilm, a heartfelt tribute to her mother. Showcasing gold tilla and chinar motifs, it celebrates centuries of Kashmiri craft, a tradition we have worked with for years,” he shared in the caption of his Instagram post. “In Janhvi’s choice, the saree is more than clothing… it highlights sustainable fashion,” he added.

Janhvi Kapoor in Sridevi’s iconic royal blue pashmina #MMSaree (Source: Instagram/@manishmatraworld)

Timeless and rooted in tradition, pashmina embodies legacy like no other textile. Kirti Deshpande, design professor, School of Design, MIT-WPU, Pune, shared that Pashmina is made from a special type of wool sourced primarily from Ladakh in northern India. According to her, the term “pashmina” is derived from the Persian word pashm, meaning soft wool. In fact, Pashmina wool is derived from the undercoat of Changthangi goats, found in Ladakh.

Decoding its legacy

The art of crafting pashmina has been part of Himalayan culture for centuries. Its hand-spun and handwoven nature imbues it with a human and historical essence. Many Himalayan families have been involved in this craft for generations, preserving not only a livelihood but also a rich cultural identity.

“A pashmina shawl goes through a long process which includes hand-combing, spinning, weaving, and dyeing, often taking weeks or months. The weaving is done on traditional handlooms, and is a meticulous process requiring immense skill,” elaborated Deshpande.

Geethica Naidu, textile designer and founder of Ame Studio, added that the production of a single Pashmina piece can take anywhere from months to years, depending on its complexity. While Pashmina is the primary material, many textile crafts, such as Kani weave, block printing, Sozni embroidery, crewel embroidery, and rafugari, are practised with it.

Highlighting a key distinction about the origin of this precious textile, Naidu told us that the true origin of pashmina is Ladakh, not Kashmir. “This misconception arises from the Western market’s use of the term “cashmere,” which has a strong association with the Kashmir region,” she clarified.