The raw material of the Kashmir shawl, known in the West as “cashmere,” is called pashm in India, and the fabric woven from it pashmina. It is the warm soft undercoat grown by goats herded on the high-altitude plateaus of Tibet and Ladakh as protection against the bitter winter cold

kashmir shawl, also spelled Cashmere, type of woolen shawl woven in Kashmir. According to tradition, the founder of the industry was Zayn-ul-ʿĀbidīn,Kashmir shawls are highly prized for their fine wool, skilled weaving and embroidery, and soft texture. Antique shawls were an item of luxury, often worn by royalty or nobility and passed down through generations