3 min readNew DelhiDec 8, 2022 05:00 PM IST
First published on: Dec 8, 2022 at 05:00 PM IST
Pashmina, popularly known as cashmere wool, is well-known not just in India but also globally for its exquisite softness, warmth, long life, and inimitable beauty. It derives its name from pashmn – the under fleece of the mountain goat called Chyangra (Capra Hircus), which lives in the high altitude of 12,000 feet in the Himalayan regions of Nepal. It is the preferred choice for many during the winter season as the thermal conductivity of this wool is very high, making it one of the best insulators.
However, owing to the widespread popularity of pashmina, several fake Pashmina products have entered the market in the last few decades and continue to inundate shops, especially in the northern parts of the country. These fake pashmina products (usually, shawls) are an amalgamation of cashmere and synthetic fibres, and are, more often than not, made using machines as opposed to the traditional method of handloom.
So, how do you differentiate an original Pashmina from a fake one? According to a viral video on Facebook, one can recognise an authentic pashmina using a simple technique. “We will make a hole in the pashmina in front of you and even pass a pen through it. But, because it’s made on the handloom, the threads will come together as the fabric is rubbed, and the hole will disappear. In case the threads don’t come together, wash the shawl and see the hole disappear,” a shopkeeper can be heard saying in the video, while demonstrating the technique.
But is it actually the correct way to recognise an authentic pashmina? Experts disagree.
Jasir Arfat, CEO and Founder, Hunar the Craft, said that this technique is not correct. “If the hole is very, very small, then the threads of a handwoven fabric might come together and take back their original place. But, if you pierce it with a pen and then expect it to come back, it won’t happen. The threads will get disconnected. This is a way to fool customers, much like the ring technique in which shopkeepers pass a so-called Pashmina shawl through it claiming it to be real,” he said.
Agreeing, Jaya Jaitly, crafts pioneer and politician, added that this method is false. “One can poke a hole in a loosely woven wool but not when it is tightly woven. In either case, it’s not possible to bring the threads back together because they get disconnected.”
The only test to determine an authentic pashmina is the GI (Geographical Indication) test, according to Arfat. “The GI tag is only given to those pashmina products that are completely handwoven and handspun. So, customers should look for this tag while buying. There are some original pashmina shawls which don’t have the GI tag because the yarn is machine-spun and the shawl is handwoven,” he explained.
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How do you differentiate an original Pashmina from a fake one? (Source: Sogenannte Pashmina/Wikimedia Commons) 
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