Peacock Blue pashmina shawl

Large Peacock Blue pashmina scarf: pashmina stole size - 27" x 72" (180cm x 68cm).
Pure single colour cobalt blue pashmina, with delicate woven-in Chenille pattern.
Hard-wearing 70% cashmere / 30% silk blend.
Single ply, with thin tasseled ends.


“Cashmere”, in case you don’t already know, is a high-quality wool made from goats. And not just any goats, but the Cashmere goat. Although the phrase “cashmere wool” generally evokes an image of mountainous goatherds in the remote regions such as Kashmir (a territory whose ownership is disputed by Pakistan and India), the largest producers of cashmere today are China and Mongolia. After these two nations, India, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey also produce a large portion of this fine wool.

Amongst the different types of cashmere, pashmina in particular is considered very high-quality. Pashmina comes from another type of cashmere-producing goat – the Pashmina goat – which is found only in high-altitude regions of the Himalayan Mountains. Today, however, because of the popularity of the wool, Pashmina goats are also raised for their wool in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert.

Unlike sheep, which have to be shorn in order for their wool to be collected, the Pashmina goat naturally sheds its inner lining, which is then gathered and spun to produce the cashmere wool. Other times the inner lining is literally combed off the goat’s body during spring as it sheds. It is a very labor-intensive process, as rougher fibers are gradually separated from the softer cashmere below.

“Pashmina” is also often used to refer to the scarves and shawls that are made from this high-quality wool. These scarves and shawls became very popular in the 1990s, to the point that demand outstripped supply. They became so popular that textile producers began creating their own, man-made “pashmina” – not true pashmina, but a synthetic fabric called “viscose” made to look and feel like pashmina wool. Don’t be fooled by these imitators!

But the 1990s were not the first time cashmere shawls became all the rage. As early as December 1850, Harper’s Magazine ran an entire article dedicated to the popularity of the cashmere shawls of the time. The article suggests that cashmere was already well-known by the European gentry as early as the turn of the eighteenth century, when owning anything from “the Indies” was a sign of wealth. But Harper’s derides the earliest European uses of cashmere, stating that they “were regarded solely as curiosities, and not even much esteemed in that capacity, for we learn that they were employed as dressing-gowns, and even used for carpeting!” Harper’s states that it was eventually Napoleon’s wife, the Empress Josephine, who turned the cashmere shawl into a fashion trend. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, cashmere garments were starting to be commissioned by wealthy Europeans.

In the twentieth century, cashmere and pashmina were popularized by two Parisians whose names are still known in the fashion world today: Coco Chanel and Jean Patou. In the 1920s, these two designers anticipated that cashmere would soon be known the world round, and began using it in various fashion designs.

One popular pashmina shawl today is the peacock blue pashmina. A bright, vibrant blue, the pashmina blue scarf provides a colorful accent to a formal black or gray dress or suit – a great way to express your individuality while still keeping your look professional.