Genuine pashmina is one of the world’s most prestigious and highly coveted fabrics. It’s wonderfully soft, extraordinarily lightweight, and expertly crafted.
Pashmina is often imitated, but nothing comes close to the real thing. Sadly, the global market has been inundated with counterfeit products for decades. It’s no surprise that the average person may have difficulties distinguishing genuine pieces from imitations when generic scarves and shawls are regularly advertised as pashmina.
Fortunately, there are several techniques that allow shoppers to recognize an original pashmina from an imitation. Here’s how to identify the real thing!
Characteristics of Genuine Pashmina
An original pashmina will have a few tell-tale signs that connoisseurs will be able to instantly recognize. Here are the main characteristics, and how to find them.
An uneven weave. This is one of the most important features that genuine fabric will have. As real pashmina is completely hand woven on looms per ancient Kashmiri and Nepali traditions, the resulting fabric will have a “perfectly imperfect” uneven weave. A completely symmetrical weave is an indication that the fabric has been machine woven. It may be genuine cashmere, but it won’t be pashmina. You can inspect the weave by holding your garment against a light source to get a better view.
An opaque fabric. While you’re holding your piece under light, be sure to inspect the density of the fabric. Original pashmina should be opaque, as it doesn’t transmit light. Any transparency is likely a sign of a counterfeit. Note that a loose weave may create some small gaps in the fabric, therefore bringing through light. You’ll want to look at the actual threads to ensure they’re not transparent.
A thin diameter. This is another major source of authenticity. Genuine pashmina is generally between 14 and 15.5 microns in diameter. Anything more is likely fake, though it may be real cashmere. Identifying the diameter of pashmina is an all around great shopping tip. The lower the micron count of a piece is, the softer and finer it will be.
A trustworthy label. Original pashmina is legally required to have a label that states its composition. And since pashmina is a delicate product, a good label will be carefully hand-stitched onto the garment. A label that has been glued on is an instant red flag. Remember that the best counterfeits will have labels that look realistic, so you may want to further inspection beyond a simple label check.
No static electricity. Pashmina will never be able to generate static electricity as a natural fabric. Synthetics, on the other hand, do have the ability to create static.
Pilling. Tiny flecks of fabric brought to the surface are annoying, but they’re a sign of authenticity. Pashmina is a natural fabric and will inevitably pill. Be wary of anything advertised as ‘non-pilling’, as this indicates a synthetic composition. You can keep your original pashmina looking smooth and luxurious by removing pilling with a high quality fabric comb.
A matte appearance. Original pashmina should have an overall matte appearance. It does have an extremely subtle luster, especially if it’s created with a silk blend, but it shouldn’t be easily described as shiny. An overly glossy appearance is often an indication of fakeness.
Easy Tests To Check Pashmina Authenticity
There are a few tried-and-tested methods that you can use to check authenticity from the comfort of your own home.
The first is the burn test. This method may sound alarming because the process is exactly as it sounds - it involves burning pashmina! Of course, you’ll want to keep your treasured garment in tact, so you’ll only need to pluck a single thread from your pashmina garment. For example, a small piece of fringing from a pashmina shawl will be more than sufficient.
Analyze the smell and texture of the thread after burning. It should smell like burnt human hair, as genuine pashmina is made from goat hair fibers. The ash should easily turn to powder and have a matte appearance.
On the other hand, synthetic fibers burn with a chemical smell, black smoke, and leave behind a bead-like plastic residue. Your pashmina is most likely inauthentic if your burnt thread has any of these features.
Another simple method to check your pashmina is the rub test. Simply rub two pieces of pashmina fabric together (they can come from the same garment) and see if any static electricity is produced. As a natural fabric, genuine pashmina should not produce any static electricity.
Of course, you can skip all the hassle by shopping from a reputable source. All Due Mondi pashmina pieces come with an authenticity guarantee, so that you can rest assured you’re getting the best quality of real pashmina.