About Pashmina ...

Pashmina is one of the most luxurious and fashionable materials available in the world today.

For centuries, garments woven from Pashmina have been adored by the world's elite. In contemporary society, the style and elegance of Pashmina has an allure that is desired by everyone and especially those seeking the most glamorous attire.

Pashmina is the name given to the wool derived from the neck and under-belly of the 'Capra Hircus' goat that thrives in the Himalayas at altitudes above 12,000 feet. At this altitude, the natural Pashmina fibres are extremely fine (between 10-14 microns in diameter, or 6-8 times thinner than a human hair) which gives Pashmina garments an incredible warmth-to-weight ratio.

The wool is then hand-woven to produce the fantastic quality garments available from 'Passionateaboutpashmina.com'.

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Price Comparison ...

We're all concerned about price. It is a natural reaction to assume that a more expensive item is of a better quality. This is certainly not the case with Pashmina products. The average high street consumer pays exorbitant prices for the same products that are available for a fraction of the price on the internet.

The reason why our Pashminas are so competitively priced is that we do not have the overheads of a high street store. Nearly all Pashmina textiles are woven in Nepal and distributed worldwide. We are able to source directly from the local Nepalese craftsmen and therefore cut out the middle man. (The fancy designer labels you see in the big stores are the only difference!)

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Quality Comparison ...

Is the quality the same as in the high street stores? Yes! In fact, after an extensive survey of numerous suppliers, we believe that the products available from 'Passionateaboutpashmina.com' are of the best quality available anywhere in Nepal.

There are obviously differences in the quality of Pashmina products and the 'Things to Look For' section below gives more details on these differences.

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Things to Look For ...

1. Fibre Quality

We have all seen shops and street traders advertising 'Pashmina' at ridiculously low prices.  If a Pashmina is being sold for a price that sounds too good to be true, then it usually is!  Pashmina sellers offering bargain basement prices of £10-15 could actually be selling 100% man-made viscose garments that cost them 40 pence each to buy!   Even when the fibre is natural, there are still variations in quality depending on the region that the Pashmina wool was farmed.  As a general guide, Chinese Pashmina is of a lower quality than Nepalese Pashmina.  We sell only the finest quality Pashmina from Nepal.  A good quality Pashmina will be much lighter and softer to the touch than a poor quality pashmina.

2. Hand-made or machine-made garments ?

A lot of the Pashmina products that you see advertised on the internet will be machine-made rather than hand-made. The products made by machine will have a very precise and unnatural straight edge. There is also another way to differentiate a hand-woven garment from a machine-woven garment ... if the threads of the garment are separated by a long fingernail, a hand-woven garment will reshape so that no hole is visible, whereas a machine-made garment will not. Hand-woven garments tend to be of a better quality and are made with the care and expertise that is indicative of the Nepalese craftsmen.

3. Fabric Blend

This is one of the main factors that determines the difference in cost between the various Pashmina products that are available. Probably the most popular and best-selling Pashminas are actually a mixture of 30% silk and 70% Pashmina. The silk adds a sheen and weight to the garment that some people prefer and the material certainly loses none of the elegance associated with Pashmina.

4. Silk Grade

The silk grade used in the 70/30 Pashmina can be either 140 or 210. The best grade is 210 and that is the grade that we use in all of our 70/30 Pashmina garments. Some manufacturers are trying to cut costs by using 140 grade silk - something to think about when comparing costs.

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Gift Ideas ...

With so many special dates to remember in the year and so many special people in your life, an ideal way to ensure you never forget is to buy a Gift Voucher which you can give to another or keep and redeem at any time for that perfect Pashmina present. Please contact us to let us know your requirements.

* All of our prices are inclusive of delivery.  Please see the Policies section for more details of our delivery and returns policies.

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