Author: Haadi Badar, Founder, Silsilah Studio
Silsilah Studio makes pure pashmina and cashmere shawls in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan [source: Silsilah Studio, product provenance records]. The house is based in Lahore. The shawls are woven, embroidered, and finished by karigars working in the Kashmiri textile tradition — a craft lineage most English-language content associates only with Indian-administered Kashmir, even though the same pit-loom weaving, sozni embroidery, and Kani techniques are practised across the Line of Control in Azad Kashmir as well [source: Kashmir craft heritage documentation].
That gap in representation is part of why this house exists.
What Is a Kashmiri Pashmina Shawl?
A Kashmiri pashmina shawl is a shawl made from pure pashmina fiber — the fine undercoat of the Changthangi goat, native to the high-altitude Himalayan plateau — using weaving and embroidery techniques developed across the wider Kashmir region over centuries [source: pashmina fiber documentation; Kashmir craft heritage documentation]. The name refers to the craft tradition, not a single national origin. Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, and Indian-administered Kashmir share this tradition; only one of the two is well documented online.
Silsilah's shawls are made in Azad Kashmir specifically [source: Silsilah Studio, product provenance records].
Why Azad Kashmir
Most pashmina content defaults to a single geographic narrative. Ours is different because our production is different: karigars in Azad Kashmir working with the same pit looms, the same talim notation systems for Kani weave, and the same sozni needlework as their counterparts across the region [source: Kashmir craft heritage documentation]. We are not claiming a separate craft. We are documenting one that has been left out of the record.
Every piece carries a provenance card stating fiber, origin, weave time, and edition [source: Silsilah Studio, provenance card system]. For the full standard behind that disclosure, see Transparency.
What We Make
Heirloom shawls built for daily life — not costume, not seasonal, not disposable. The distinction shows in the drape, in the softness that improves with wear, in the warmth that doesn't announce itself.
We work in pure pashmina, cashmere, and noble wools [source: Silsilah Studio product range]. No synthetics. No blends sold under vague labels. What the product page states is what the fiber is — see Materials & Care for the full fiber breakdown.
How a Silsilah Shawl Is Made
Fiber. Pure pashmina, cashmere, or noble wool. Sourced, never substituted [source: Silsilah Studio product range].
Weaving. Woven in Azad Kashmir on traditional looms. Kani-technique pieces use wooden spool-needles to weave pattern directly into the cloth; plain pieces use a standard pit-loom weave [source: Kashmir craft heritage documentation]. See our Kani weave guide for the technical detail.
Embroidery, where applicable. Sozni and border embroidery is applied by hand after weaving, taking six to twenty-four months depending on the piece [source: Silsilah Studio, embroidered line production records]. See our embroidery guide.
Finishing. Edges are hand-finished. Every piece is checked for balance and feel before it leaves the house.
Our House Lines
- Silsilah Core — pure pashmina, everyday neutrals. $399–$489.
- Silsilah Signature — four-side embroidered borders, six months made. $575–$699.
- Silsilah Masterwork — one-of-one pieces, including Kani. $1,095–$1,350.
- Silsilah Collector — karigar-signed, eighteen months made. $2,495.
- Silsilah Atelier — the apex line, twenty-four months made. $4,995.
What We Believe
Real fibers only. Karigars at the center, credited by name on the provenance card. Slow by design — a piece takes as long as it takes. Nothing hidden — fiber, origin, and make time are stated on every product page, not just this one.
Where to Start
New to pashmina — start with Silsilah Core. Want a recognizable signature — Silsilah Signature. Collecting craft — Masterwork, Collector, and Atelier.
Shop the House Lines → All Shawls