Natural white cashmere from Ladakh hand embroidered and woven on a handloom as part of a classic revival series emulating the style of traditional pashmina shawls. The word Nowsheen is an Arabic word meaning 'beautiful or new'. The design inspiration is the landscape of Pang in Ladakh. Pang is considered one of the most beautiful places in Ladakh, it is 19000ft above sea level and thousands of years ago was once part of the sea bed. The heart shape frequently used in Sozni embroidery is used in this intricate pattern to connect the vines and flowers creating the 'jaal' design.

Wear this pashmina on a special occasion, a formal event or simply to keep warm on a cold winter day. The pashmina would be a cherished heirloom that could be passed down from generation to generation.

The raw pashmina wool was sourced from Datt Village, Changthang, from herds of goats belonging to Mr Tsering Angchuk. The fibres were then washed, carded, and de-haired. De-hairing is the process of removing the guard hair (thick hair) from the pashmina fibres so that only the finest hairs remain. For the fabric used on this shawl the carding was done on an Italian 6 stage carding machine.

The soft fine pashmina is then spun by hand in Kashmir where hand spinning is a traditional culture, to make an incredibly fine yarn (and unbroken) ranging in thickness from 110 - 140 English count, which would not be possible on a machine without a 'carrier fibre'. The yarn for this shawl was spun by Hamida, she is currently doing a masters at Kashmir University and helps with the distribution of pashmina wool to other women 'self help groups' who are involved in pashmina spinning. 

The soft fine yarn for this particular shawl was then sent to Srinigar and woven by Mr Abid Khan, a skilled craftsman. Mr Khan has 2 pit looms, it would have taken him months to weave the beautiful fabric.

The embroidery was done by Mr Dar who has been hand embroidering shawls for 38 years, working in the Ganderbal district of Kashmir. The style of  work used on this shawl is called Gulabdar / Phooldar. Gulab means rose and Phool means flower, in this style of embroidery the stitch length is longer than would normally be used in Sozni, and the Jamawar vines are filled with embroidered flowers.

Mem Jamawar has less embroidery on a pattern compared to full Jamawar and has repeating patterns with spaces, this sort of design was very popular in the 1900s making the shawls more accessible to the 'common person' and were used as an ornament rather than an item of clothing, and used for gifting purposes in traditional Kashmiri marriages.

The shawl was finished at the 'finishing plant' in Hawal by Mr Zakir Wani, where the fabric was carefully washed and finished and ready for dispatch.

The shawl will be supplied with a book entitled 'The Kashmir Shawl', which will create a backdrop for you of the 'landscape and lives' where these shawls are created.

Composition: 100% Cashmere, sourced in Ladakh from Grade 'A' fibres

Size: 92 x 202 cm (36 x 79.5 inches )

Made in Kashmir

Care: Professional cleaning only