Kashmiri gives new identity to pashmina in world market

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 29

As power looms pose a threat to the pashmina shawl industry in the Valley, a French and Kashmiri entrepreneur are together trying to revive the industry and give it a new identity. 

For the first time in 500 years since the shawl industry was commercialised by the Muslim rulers of the Valley, an attempt has been made to create a global brand to sustain not only the shawl artisans but also give a new lease of life to the sector which is on the verge of collapse due to the influx of machine-made fake products, an exact imitation of the exotic shawls.

In the last two decades, over 90 per cent of the women spinners have given up the craft because the manufacturers prefer the cheaper, low-quality, machine-spun alternative.

“We are just reorganising the disorganised sector. The motto of the brand is “Scripted in France, Crafted in Kashmir”. The brand has its headquarters in France. A pashmina shawl is the finest handcrafted fabric in the world but has no branding,” said Aaditya Kitroo, who has established a company, ‘Jos & Fine’, along with his French partner, Safia Igranaissi.

They have decided not just to use hand-spun yarn but also take yarn fineness to levels never seen before, focusing on utilising the hand-spun wool from the traditional Kashmiri charkha that produces the highest-quality yarn in the world. This has also provided livelihood to hundreds of women in the Valley.

Both claim that the company has already set the record for the finest raw pashmina wool, hitting the 12.5-micron mark.