Pashmina - Origins

The valuable pashmina wool comes from the fine throat and stomach hair of pashmina goats. This hair protects the animals in winter from the icy cold of the Himalayan plateaus. In spring, as it gets warmer, the fine pashmina hair falls out, and is then combed out and collected by nomadic shepherds.

Pashmina - Purchase

Every year, the Panchachuli pony caravan undertakes the dangerous journey to Tibet, in order to buy the pashmina wool from the Tibetan Chapka and Bhotia nomads. (For more information download the PDF File.)

The route from Almora to the Kailash Mansarovar plateau in Tibet is 450 km long and follows a narrow path along the Mahakali river, the natural border between India and Nepal. The journey can only be undertaken during the short summer period, when there is little snow on the high mountain passes. Even in summer the crossing is often very difficult as melting snow makes the paths very slippery.

Tussar silk and nettles

In addition to pashmina wool, other natural raw materials like tussar silk or nettle yarn are also processed. The latter comes from the fibres of the giant Himalayan nettle. The plant grows in large quantities in the region each year and is collected by the women in spring in the woods and fields. The processing of the nettle bark into yarn is a complicated process: the fibres are boiled, beaten to a pulp, bleached with chalk and then soaked. Then they have to be washed before they can be further processed.

Dyes

The dyes are made with natural materials. No chemical additives are used in the dying process. The pink, red and orange dyes come from different Fflowers. Brown and beige dyes are made from seeds and buds. Leaves are used for the yellow and khaki dyes. Blue and brown dyes are produced using different roots. Purple, green and black dyes are obtained from nuts and bark. In total, a “natural” palette of 180 different colours can be attained.