Many people don’t fully understand the differences between pashmina and cashmere, which can make it challenging when deciding what garments to purchase. In this article, we take a look at the differences between these two materials to help you understand what you’re buying.
Goat fur
Both cashmere and pashmina are materials produced from the fur of goats. The goats that produce the fibres used for these materials live in extreme temperatures and conditions. The goats have adapted to live in these conditions, and their fur provides them with warmth during the winter and allows their skin to breathe in the summer. These properties are transferred to the pashmina and cashmere clothing items. In addition, both cashmere and pashmina fabrics are incredibly soft and luxurious.
Size of the fibres
One difference between cashmere and pashmina is the size of the fibres. The fibres used to make a pashmina item are smaller and more delicate compared to cashmere. This makes pashmina fibres much more challenging to work with, so much so that they require a completely different process compared to making a cashmere item of clothing.
Machine vs handmade
The method for creating a cashmere shawl compared to a genuine pashmina shawl is completely different. Cashmere is made by machine, whereas pashmina items are made by hand. The fibres used to make pashmina shawls are much smaller and, therefore, can’t go through a machine; therefore, they need to be made by hand. If you’re looking for a genuine pashmina item, it should be made by hand; otherwise, it’s likely to be cashmere. It takes, on average, 3-5 days to create a genuine pashmina item.
Price point
Both materials are of incredible quality with great properties to keep the wearer warm and provide comfort. However, they do differ in terms of price; you can expect to pay more for a pashmina; in fact, it is one of the most expensive materials you can purchase anywhere in the world. Cashmere items also fetch a high price, but they’re not quite as expensive as buying a genuine pashmina.
Softness
One of the main qualities of cashmere and pashmina that people seek is the fact that it’s incredibly soft to the touch and feels exquisite on the skin. There are some differences between the two materials in this regard. Because pashmina is made from the smallest fibres, which are hand-woven, the material has a softer quality than cashmere. However, it can be challenging to tell the difference between the two unless you’re an expert in fabrics. For the best quality pashmina, you should look for Indian pashmina. Cashmere wraps in the UK are still incredibly soft and luxurious, and they make an excellent gift for friends and family.
Availability
You may encounter different issues when looking for genuine cashmere and pashmina items. Cashmere items are much easier to find and more readily available compared to genuine pashmina. There is no one brand that sells pashmina, but replica brands have taken the name pashmina and sell products under this brand name that aren’t made from pashmina. Make sure you double-check where you’re buying pashmina products to ensure you’re getting a genuine product and don’t end up with a replica made from an artificial fibre such as viscose.
Both pashmina and cashmere products come from the same goats; however, the finest fibres are taken to create pashmina items by hand. The rest of the fibres are used to make cashmere products. Therefore pashmina is almost a subset of cashmere, the finest and most sought-after variety of this luxurious fabric. There are many different cashmere garments available to buy, whereas pashminas are shawls, and the material is rarely used to create any other garments. To find a genuine pashmina item, you’ll need to do your research and pay a premium for the shawl. Cashmere is much easier to find, and while still expensive, it doesn’t fetch the same high prices as pashmina shawls. To an untrained eye, both materials have excellent qualities to keep the wearer warm in harsh weather conditions. Despite this, people still seek out the elusive and prestigious genuine pashmina items as this fabric holds prestige like no other fabric on the market.
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