Srinagar, Aug 31: Wednesday 1st September 11 AM will see the official inauguration of a Craft Centre for Excellence in Pashmina Weaving at Kheiwan Narwara in downtown Srinagar by Mujtaba Kadri, founder of the luxury international cashmere brand, Me & K.
The weavers from the Centre will initially be creating unique pieces for Aadhyam, a label owned by the Aditya Birla Group. Director, Handicrafts, Mehmood Ahmed Shah & Maxmillano Modesti, a well known Craft Preservationist, will be Grace the occasion with their presence.
“The opening of this centre represents an important step in reviving, promoting and protecting Kashmir Valley’s ancient hand-weaving techniques, which are being lost and forgotten due to the proliferation of cheap, machine-spun cashmere. This inspiring initiative is also bringing much needed sustainable employment opportunities for spinners( women ) and weavers, whilst also ensuring them decent working conditions and fair wages”, a K&Me spokesperson told Ziraat Times.
“The Centre for Excellence in weaving prides itself on using only traditional hand techniques to produce the finest pashmina in the world – which Kashmir is famous for. The yarn is spun by hand, using a charkha( spinning wheel) rather than a machine spun yarn. This makes the threads much finer, resulting in a softer and smoother pashmina. The exclusive focus on hand techniques means that wages offered to the craftspeople are almost double the market rate”, he added.
The inauguration function on Wednesday will also see the launch of ‘Ladakh Pashmina’ – another initiative to improve the quality of raw pashm coming into Kashmir by certifying at Craft Development Institute srinagar. The raw Pashm is packed in 1kg bags, making it authentic & affordable for small-scale weavers. Me & K has chosen Tariq Shair (Founder & treasurer of Kashmir Pashmina Organisation) of AK shawls as sole distributor for Raw Pashmina.