The History of Cashmere

by Barry McDonald

Cashmere is a highly versatile material – both warm in winter, and airy in summer, this fashionable fabric popular all around the world. However, even dedicated fans of cashmere knitwear are most likely unaware of the history attached to this ever-popular fabric, which has been produced in large quantities since as early as the 15th century!

In the Middle and Far East, fine woollen shawls have been in popular fashion since as early as the 3rd century BC. Early Mughal texts refer to the process of weaving wool into delicate items of clothing, and this was most likely fabric harvested from the wool of sheep and goats. Pashmina was the name of one of these popular early fabrics, and takes its name from the Persian word ‘pashm’, literally meaning ‘wool’.

The earliest references to cashmere as we know it today come from later on, in the 15th century. Zayn-ul-Abidin was the ruler of the Kashmir province of India at the time, and it was his idea to use the fine underdown of Kashmir goats, to produce a new form of soft, luxurious fabric. He brought in skilled weavers from the distant land of Turkestan, and soon set about creating a massive industry for the new material. The name ‘cashmere’ is actually adapted from the name of the Kashmir region itself.

By the late 18th and early 19th century, the British Empire was spreading its influence far and wide across the globe. Some of these Imperial explorers began to encounter fine cashmere products in the East, including sumptuous garments made from the soft down of Tibetan goats. They brought samples home with them, and soon cashmere was one of the most fashionable things to be seen wearing, anywhere in the Western World!

Nowadays cashmere is much easier to produce, and you only have to wander down to your nearest department store to be able to find a good cashmere sweater or scarf. Nevertheless, this popular fabric has never really gone out of fashion, and remains one of the softest, most comfortable, natural materials on the market.

Article submitted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 & read 32 times.

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