The Pashmina Shawl and Precarious Future of Artisans

Background

Pashmina shawls have for ages represented luxury, workmanship, and cultural legacy. The 15th Century king Zayn-ul-Abideen brought highly talented craftsmen from Persia, so introducing Pashmina shawls in Kashmir (Yaqoob et al., 2012). Made from the delicate undercoat of Himalayan Changthangi goats, these shawls first became well-known in Mughal courts as symbols of nobility (Dar, 2014). Popularly known as ‘Shah Hamdaan’, Hazrat Mir Syed Ali Hamdani is said to have brought spinning arts to Kashmir for the financial benefit of her people (Yagnaraman, 2024). An artist Ghulam Rasool in downtown Srinagar claimed that he had brought Iranian artists to teach here (Malik, 2025). Later, European elites such as Empress Joséphine helped them to become worldwide fashion stars. Benevolent behind their ageless appeal, however, is a harsh reality: systematic neglect, mechanization, and economic exploitation all pose existential dangers to the artists upholding this legacy. One estimate indicates that women’s shawl weaving participation has dropped dramatically. It has affected the hand-made shawls sorting, dusting, dehairing, combing, spinning and finishing; all these were dominated by the female workforce. Artists feel that the quality of once-known Pashmina shawls of Kashmir has been compromised by the introduction of machines in spinning yarn or manufacturing.

The Artisans’ Plight: Challenges Threatening Survival

I. Economic Exploitation and Poverty

The economic exploitation of Pashmina weavers in Kashmir is marked by chronic poverty, stagnate wages, and a continuous cycle of vulnerability endangering not only the livelihoods of the artisans but also the survival of this centuries-old handicraft. Though Pashmina shawls have a global luxury status, the average income for a Pashmina artist is shockingly low-often between ₹200 and ₹250 daily- which translates, most usually, to less than ₹8,000 a month (Ashraf et al., 2016). The circumstances are much worse for women who spin the delicate Pashm fibres: they might make as little as ₹60 daily or just ₹250 for five days of work. For decades, these numbers have stayed mostly unaltered, unable to match inflation or the growing cost of living.

The difference between the wages of the artists and the final retail price of Pashmina goods is striking since the weaver in charge of their production might only create two pieces annually, getting paid meagre for months of work (Fareed, 2009). Systemic exploitation and the lack of negotiating power among the artists directly lead to this economic gap. The predominance of middlemen in the Pashmina supply chain greatly influences the financial exploitation of weavers. From artists at suppressed rates, these middlemen buy raw or semi-finished goods and sell them to manufacturers or stores at significant mark-up (Nabi, 2020). This system perpetuates poverty by leaving artists with minimal influence and even less profit.

Rising expenses and declining returns further devaluate the already meagre income of craftsmen. Many times, lacking the means to buy these supplies in bulk or invest in their own looms, artists must work under terms dictated by manufacturers or middlemen (Kumar, 2024). Their vulnerability is exacerbated by the lack of access to reasonably priced credit or financial support since most government assistance is either inadequate or unavailable because of bureaucratic obstacles and non-renewal of necessary artisan registration cards. Pashmina artists also face threats from structural barriers and the vicious cycle of poverty since they come from economically poor backgrounds and lack the means to escape abusive working conditions.

II. Mechanization and Counterfiets.

The mechanization of Pashmina shawl production and the emergence of counterfeit and kit-made goods have profoundly affected Kashmiri artisans, endangering their livelihoods and the integrity of a millennia-old trade (Pandey, 2015).  With 95% of Pashmina in Kashmir handled by spinning machines, many of which operate illegally, the advent of power looms and spinning machines has upended traditional handloom techniques. For manufacturing, mechanization provides cost efficiency, homogeneity, speed and scale, and economic incentives include for artists, these benefits are costly, though, and demand for hand-spun and hand-woven shawls has dropped as a result.  Many talented weavers are driven to forsake their trade or turn to less skillful, less paying machine-assisted manufacture.  The unrelenting pursuit of profit and efficiency is erasing the creativity, uniqueness, and cultural value inherent in every handcrafted shawl. The widespread selling of fake goods that look and feel like real Pashmina but are produced with inferior materials and mass-production processes aggravates the widespread sale of counterfeit Pashmina shawls.  Often created outside of Kashmir in locations like Punjab, these imitations—which are sold under the esteemed Kashmiri brand- deceptions consumers and compromises the integrity of real-world artists.

 Traditional weavers suffer loss of revenue, employment losses, deskilling, declining workmanship, and cultural dilution among other things.  While power loom workers earn about ₹70-100 per shawl, handloom weavers may earn approximately ₹1,000 for a shawl that takes days to complete (Pandey, 2015).  Many artists have lost their jobs as a result of the quick move to machine manufacture; they have been forced to accept meagre pay and give up traditional talents in favour of tedious, less fulfilling employment. Weak legislation enforcement of regulations to conserve Pashmina and other handicrafts, including the Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985, and attempts like the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and proposed quality certification centres continues regulatory and institutional problems (Deshpande, 2018).  The future of Pashmina shawl manufacture is yet unknown since dishonest dealers and counterfeiters keep using weaknesses in supervision.

III. Weak Governmental Support

Weak government support and poor interventions are causing major problems for Kashmir Pashmina, a legacy craft from the region.  Many weavers still live in poverty because of flat pay and little public support.  A single loom runs about ₹10,000 to set up, but government assistance in providing these fundamental instruments is scant (Fareed, 2009).  Ninety percent of households in Doodkuthu in Budgam district rely on Kani Pashmina weaving, hence artists protest the apathy and absence of basic infrastructure of the Handicrafts and Handloom Department (Lone, 2021).

Government programs like loan systems and micro-credit are often unreachable because of bureaucratic obstacles and ignorance among craftspeople.  Introduced in 2008, the GI tagging for Kashmiri Pashmina has not been able to shield artists from the flood of machine-made, counterfeit goods (Mir et al., 2017). Furthermore, neglected by the government are fundamental welfare requirements, including eye-testing camps, which would not have cost 500 rupees. Although Kashmiri Pashmina generates a lot of money and praise from outside, the people who made it are still underprivileged and government help usually comes from bluster or poorly carried out plans.  This exposes communities to poverty and a loss of their skill.

IV. Glimmers of Hope: Empowerment and Sustainability

Through focused empowerment and sustainability projects, especially those focused on women and group action, the Pashmina sector in Kashmir and Ladakh is seeing real flashes of hope despite years of crisis. One particularly remarkable example is the Looms of Ladakh cooperative, where more than 427 rural women from sixteen villages have changed their lives by moving from subsistence-level spinning and weaving to creating a farm-to-fashion collective (Bhagirath, 2024). Originally met with opposition and financial difficulties, the 2017 registered cooperative’s women’s tenacity paid off: they pooled their own resources, started manufacturing, and sold completed Pashmina goods straight to visitors and at shows. This direct market access guaranteed that earnings returned to the artists themselves, so avoiding exploitative middlemen.

The influence has been very great. Women who used to weave just for personal consumption today support their families, provide a consistent income, and take part in management decisions. Programs for skill development- like those run in collaboration with Usha Silai for tailoring- have diversified their capacities, so strengthening their resilience and entrepreneurship (NDTV, 2025). Co-founder of Looms of Ladakh Abhilasha Bahuguna points out that seventy percent of their employees are women, who are today the backbone of the Pashmina work in the area (Wangchuk, 2018). Another ray of hope is the comeback of hand spun; GI tagged Pashmina shawls. The GI tag guarantees fair wages and worldwide recognition for the Kashmiri artists by requiring that shawls be created from pure Pashm wool, hand-spun, and hand-woven by Kashmiri artists (Mir et al. 2017). Women who had given up spinning because of low pay and lack of demand have come back to their trade, dusting off their charkhas as international orders for real, certified goods grow. Women’s economic independence and dignity have been restored by this comeback, which enables them to help their families and protect cultural legacy.

By supplying raw materials, enabling GI certification, and linking artists to worldwide markets via e-commerce platforms, efforts by groups like Ehsaas International and Chinar International have further empowered craftspeople (Ilyas, 2019). Raw materials were given to 120 spinners and weavers in their pilot phase to create authentic Pashmina, which was then sold online and profits directly went to the artists. This kind of entrepreneurial philanthropy helps artists living in poverty as well as revitalizes the art. Positive government interventions abound as well. For example, the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom in Kashmir gave local artists in Srinagar 10 Kani looms and 25 sets of Namdah tools in January 2025, so increasing their capacity to create premium traditional handicrafts (“Kashmir Handicrafts, Kani Looms, Namdah Tools,” 2025). Together with Srinagar’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City, these projects have elevated the profile of Kashmiri handicaps and given artists the tools they need to compete internationally.

These empowerment models reflect sustainability rather than only economic success. Focusing on handspun, handwoven GI-certified Pashmina, these projects help the environment, lessen reliance on mechanized methods, and guarantee that traditional knowledge will be passed on to next generations. The fresh pride and financial stability among women artists have inspired younger generations to remain in the trade, so bucking the trend of migration out of the field.

V. The Road Ahead

Maintaining the Pashmina legacy calls both deliberate, pragmatic actions grounded in the changing craft economy and the lived experiences of Kashmir’s master artists. With his Jamawar patchwork shawls selling for up to ₹15,000 each, artists like Haji Ghulam Rasool Khan, recipient of the Padma Shri and Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Award, have shown that commitment to traditional techniques- such as Sozni and Kani embroidery- can still demand worldwide interest and premium prices (Damarla, 2017). However, Khan himself stresses the need of a committed government training centre to pass on these skills, pointing out that a single shawl can take months to finish and that young people are being driven away from the trade by the patience demanded.

Additionally pointing the way forward are entrepreneurial endeavours. Through free raw wool, GI certification, and direct market access via online and physical stores, Junaid Shahdhar’s Phamb supports over 1,500 Kashmiri artisans (Masoodi, 2023). Since profits direct to the producers rather than middlemen, this model has raised artisan incomes by forty percent. Similarly, innovations like the modified charkha, distributed and taught by Mujtaba Qadri’s training centre in Srinagar, have doubled the output and income of over 200 women spinners, so enabling them to be financially independent and so preserve the authenticity of the craft. Scaling such focused interventions- establishing artisan training centres, enforcing GI certification to fight counterfeits, and broadening direct-to-consumer platforms- will help us to lay the road ahead. Learning from these particular achievements will help Kashmir to make sure the Pashmina legacy stays vivid, relevant, and fulfilling for next generations.

References:

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Authored by: Ms. Saumya Verma

Assistant Professor of Law, Presidency University, Bangalore, India.

Ms. Saumya Verma is an Assistant Professor and legal scholar specializing in Intellectual Property Rights, with a distinguished academic foundation. After graduating with honors and a gold medal in B.A.LL.B. from Dr. Hari Singh Gaur Central University, Madhya Pradesh, She pursued an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Rights from Gujarat National Law University. She is a Senior Editorial Consultant for ‘Fashion Law IP Blog’ (a blog run by students of NLU Assam). She has published extensively in reputed law journals. She is working at Presidency University, Bangalore as Assistant Professor of Law currently. Her experience demonstrates a commitment to both scholarly excellence and practical legal expertise.