Handwoven from the underbelly fleece of wool-bearing goats traditionally reared in the Himalayan reaches, Pashmina is the original name for Cashmere, which is an anglicised reference to Kashmir, the state in India where they were traditionally woven. Pashmina is different from the shahtoosh shawls, which are now illegal because of the devastating effect that they had on the population of chiru antelopes in the Himalayas. The reason that you rarely, if ever, get a handwoven pashmina in the ritzier and big-brand stores, is because they have large supply lines to cater to, which cannot be fulfilled without resorting to machine looms. Machine looms typically produce a looser weave because the warp has to be strung at a lower tension to avoid breakages (which are a part and parcel of any handwoven textile, particularly one using a fine yarn.) Kajri only sources handwoven pashminas from the state of Kashmir in India and proudly supports local artisans there. As with all our finer handwoven products, we ask that our customers be patient if an item is out of stock. It takes time to weave and ship something as precious as this.