Pashmina Pashmina is just the indigenous word for cashmere, which is a term applied by European colonialists to a fabric that was known primarily as a product of Kashmir, the disputed territory in northwest India. The word derives from pashm, an ancient Persian word that was apparently used for any weavable fiber (including sheep wool, shahtoosh). In recent decades, pashmina has become known internationally as a term applied to the wool, and products made from the wool, derived from the undercoat of the Cashmere goat Capra hircus laniger, a breed of Capra hircus (the domestic goat species) that is raised primarily at high elevations in Central Asia, particularly Mongolia. For years this fiber has been used by weavers in Kashmir (hence cashmere), a disputed area between Pakistan and India. Due to the ongoing war there, China has been able to dominate pashmina production in the fifteen years or so. There is a lot of misinformation (or disinformation) about pashmina online. This may be due to the lack of scientific research, and/or to the fact that most production is in out-of-the-way places that are never visited by the staff of pashmina shawl manufacturers or exporters. Claims made about the relative fineness of cashmere and pashmina are almost certainly false. Claims made that pashmina (or, alternatively, the best pashmina) comes only from the throat and belly of the goat are most likely false also. The Cashmere & Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute (CCMI) has noted the increased prevalence of shawls and other products bearing the name Pashmina. The Institute has also received a number of inquiries from consumers, retailers and the media about pashmina and the use of the term. We are therefore issuing this clarifying statement: Use of the term Pashmina in marketing is inherently ambiguous and therefore misleading. Pashmina is a term which is derived from an Indian word used to describe cashmere in India and Nepal. Pashmina is not necessarily finer than other types of cashmere, nor does it have any distinguishing characteristics other than those normally associated with cashmere coming from China, Mongolia, Iran or Afganistan. In its current usage, this is marketing terminology intended apparently to capitalize on a fad for shawls of a type traditionally associated with India and Nepal. The word pashmina itself is not a legally recognizable term for describing fiber content in European or American law. If a textile product contains cashmere, the fiber content must be designated cashmere on required labeling. Pashmina cannot be used on textile product labeling in the absence of the legally required terminology. Recently the term pashmina has been used to market a range of products from 100% cashmere to blends of cashmere and silk. The term pashmina does not refer to cashmere and silk. Textile products composed of blends of cashmere and silk fibers must be labeled with the appropriate percentages of cashmere and silk and designated as such according to textile and Customs labeling regulations. Because there is no consistently understood definition of the term pashmina, CCMI regards the use of the term in signage or promotional literature for cashmere and silk blends, to be misleading. Pashmina is not a descriptive, generic term. CCMI considers the use of the term pashmina on required garment labels and in the absence of the appropriate designation cashmere to be in violation of labeling regulations and to be misleading to the consumer. The Institute will take action against such mislabeling.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 17:52:57 +0000
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