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Cashmere, one of the finest natural fibres known to man, conjures up pictures of soft, fragile luxury combining the obvious paradox of heat and lightness.

Originating in Kashmir, high in the mountains of the Himalayas, cashmere is understood by its genuine name, pashmina. The word pashmina is much misused, today being adopted to explain shawls and scarves of different mixes of wool, silk, cashmere, and even polyester.

But real pashmina, from the word pashm, means king's fabric, the name for only the best 100% cashmere, and it has been cherished for hundreds of years. Pashmina shawls first found their way to the courts of the Roman Emperors and were later popularised in Europe by Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, a leader of world fashion in the 19th century, who is credited with introducing cashmere to the western world.

Pashmina or cashmere is the soft downy inner fleece of the Kashmir goat. To withstand the extremes of temperature in the mountains, dry dry summers and freezing winters, the animals grow 2 coats, the outer one hard and wiry and the inner one soft and opulent.

How is it produced?

In spring, the goats start to moult and it is then that the soft fibre is brushed away by hand, each animal manufacturing only one or two oz of hair. Brushing the goats and collecting the fibre is a family occasion. No harm is done to the goats.

Turning the fibre into fabric is a difficult process and adds to the mystique of the cashmere. The inner and outer coats need to be separated before the fine fibre can be spun and woven. This requires enormous skill.

The physical properties of pashmina, or cashmere, explain its exclusivity and desirability. The fibre is so fine, at least six times finer than a human hair, and measures about 11 nanometers (11/1000 of a millimetre). When the fibres are twisted together during the spinning process, thousands of minute air pockets form which give cashmere its amazing insulation and weightlessness.

It takes the once a year output of 3 to four goats to provide one cashmere shawl. Put an alternative way, so fine is the fabric that one hand spun, hand woven headscarf uses 1.5km of this dear fibre, yet weighs less than 75grams. Traditionally in Kashmir the spinning and weaving is done by hand, the women spin and the men weave, while most other cashmere is now produced by machine. At Black we have cashmere using both techniques.

Today cashmere is a well-liked luxury material used for making ourcashmere gloves cashmere hats, jumpers and scarves and cashmere socks.We are proud of using the best quality cashmere in Britain. The range of designs are modern and stylish and available in several different colors to match any wardrobe.