4 Good Reasons Why Pashmina Shawls are Expensive

Pashmina shawls are expensive because they are made of rare fabric, underwent a time-consuming process, naturally soft and warm, and enhanced with different patterns, embroidery and other decorations.

Many know that a shawl plays a vital role when it comes to looking good and in the world of fashion. It has become so much of a fashion favorite because it brightens and adds a distinctively stylish appeal to any type of wardrobe. That is why wearing it never went out of style no matter what kind of scarf it is.

One of the most popular scarves is the Pashmina. They are known to be very soft, elegant as well as very expensive. Many have argued about its price but why it cost that much is explained below.

Made of rare fabric

Pashmina, coming from a Persian word, means ‘wool’. The fabric that made up these type of shawls came from Changra or Himalayan Goat Changtangi. Usually raised by local villagers from the Tibetan plateau for their milk and wool, these mountain goats live in high altitudes about 14,500 feet above sea level where temperatures are normally around less than 30 degrees centigrade during winter.  Living on high altitude, these goats produces a certain kind of fine wool that only animals living in this kind of environment develop to keep them warm and to protect them from the freezing climate. When summer comes, these creatures shed their winter fur to lighter ones. The inhabitants collect the furs by brushing the goats with scrubs especially on their underbelly. They will then take this to the women of the village to spin the softer part of each hair’s root to make a raw pashmina thread – a strand smaller than human hair. A goat produces only about less than 100 grams of wool each year and it would take about 3 or more goats to make a genuine pashmina shawl. The availability of the product is scarce but is always in high demand that is why there prices are high.

Underwent a time-consuming process

Basically, from collecting the goats’ hair until the weaving of the dyed fabric, all are done by hand. They are carefully gauzy weaved by highly-trained weaver as its fibers cannot stand much tension. It takes about 3 to 9 months to finish the whole process of making a pashmina shawl.

Naturally soft and warm

100% pashmina shawls are naturally soft and warm and considered to be 1^st class quality products. Some of them now are mixed with silk but with just a slight change in the quality and price.

Enhanced with different patterns, embroidery and other decorations

Today, these shawls are decorated with beads and embroidery. Some even are dyed in different patterns. The more beautiful the shawls will be, the more expensive they can get.

Pashmina shawls are costly but you can really see and feel that purchasing one is worth all the money you spent on it. Not only did you buy the best but it is also good that you invested on something that is of high quality and very beautiful. Just be sure to take really good care of it so that you can still use it for many years and even hand it down as an heirloom in your family tree.