Sozni Gulbdar classical Kashmir bridal shawl. The shawl is beautifully soft and dyed a vibrant red made with hand-loomed and hand-woven cashmere from Ladakh, collected in June 2020. The incredible embroidery of this shawl, unlike the usual Kashmiri designs of pattern repetition, is a large mirror image. High-quality golden Zari is used for the Tilla work, and a black thread is used as an outline to protect the bride from the evil eye of Surma.  

The raw pashmina wool is collected from private herds of Changthani goats in Leh, Ladakh where temperatures can reach minus 35 degrees during winter in this cold desert region of the Himalayas. The cashmere is 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. The cashmere from this region is considered amongst the best in the world, it is combed from the chest and underbelly of the goats. and is light and warm with amazing insulating properties, the fibres are extremely fine, varying between 9 - 16 microns.
The baby soft pashmina is then spun by hand converting the soft fibre into an ultrafine yarn that even modern technology would struggle to achieve. Hand spinning is a traditional craft in Kashmir.

Each pashmina is handled with great care and worked on by skilled individuals using traditional crafts and hand processes.

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

Composition: Grade 'A' 100% Cashmere,  originates from Ladakh

Size: 94 x  204 cm,  weight 365 gms

Care: Needs to be professionally cleaned.