History of Cashmere

THE HISTORY OF CASHMERE  

FIBRE ORIGIN

As one would imagine the name cashmere has an association with Kashmir in the northwest region of the Indian subcontinent.  

The etymology suggests that the cashmere industry began in the district of Kashmir with the skilled  hand craftsmen  renowned for their craft. Further accounts state that it may even have started around the time of the Roman Empire. 

THE MOGULS

In the 16^th century the weaving industry prospered under the auspices of the Mogul Dynasty.

The Mogul Dynasty has very close ties with Mongolia as Mogul is the name used by Indians for Mongols and Turks.

India’s Mogul Empire which lasted from 1523 to 1857 had its start under Babur a central asian descendant of Chinggis Khan.  

THE BIRTH OF THE CASHMERE SHAWL

Many Kashmiri shawls were woven from the goat fibre from Srinigar the capital of the Kashmiri region. The shawls were adored by the Kings and Lords in Mogul, Persia and Afghanistan. The soft, light weight but warm shawls were elaborately designed and worn by the governing class. 

NAPOLOEON AND THE INTRODUCTION INTO EUROPEAN SOCIETY

Following Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign in 1792 these shawls were introduced into European society.

Between 1850-1860 the import of these shawls from India to Europe doubled in size however the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 made the import virtually extinct.

INDUSTRIALISATION

In the 1870’s a British industrialist, Joseph Dawson visited the Kashmiri region to attend the wedding of his daughter. Whilst there he observed the locals hand dehairing the cashmere fibre, then hand spinning the yarn and hand weaving the shawls. 

He was inspired into designing and building the first mechanical dehairing machine and as a result the modern cashmere industry was born.