Our latest batch of pashminas from LENA will blow your mind. One of our favorites has to be the Apricot Blush Pashmina Shawl. The color reminds us of Ladakh's favorite fruit at harvest time. Families will pick their bounty of apricots and spread the blushing orbs across the rooftops to dry in the bright sun. This process transforms the fruit into delicious lumps that melt in your mouth as they soften, just as the Apricot Rose Pashmina will melt your heart as you pull it over your shoulders. This gorgeous textile looks stunning with everything from blue jeans to an ivory silk blouse. You'll find yourself reaching for it again and again, from season to season, comforted by its sensational softness and warm color scheme.
Each pashmina shawl in the collection is brought to you with pride in Silk Road Spaceship's new collaboration with LENA, a Ladakh-based pashmina company creating the finest pashminas we've ever come across in our years of travel to the Himalayas. All the pieces in this exclusive collection are handwoven from ethically sourced handspun Changra pashmina from the Chang Tang Plateau. LENA creates its items in small batches with natural, locally sourced botanical dye materials. So whether you purchase one of these pashminas for yourself or as a gift for someone special, you'll be comforted to share your support for sustainable and dignified livelihood sources for Ladakhi women artisans. Get the full story on the LENA-SRS collaboration here.
ABOUT THE WEAVE: Indigo and marigold create subtle china blue and pollen gold shades that twist to take on a stunning green vibe from a distance in the exquisitely soft panel. Pull it over your shoulders and wrap it across your chest; you'll feel cloaked in the quiet twilight of the stark Chang Tang plain. Luxurious and thick, this is not the paper-thin pashmina ubiquitous in the United States and often coming from questionable, less than ethical manufacturers. What's more, our pashmina comes with a reusable, hand-sewn fabric pouch so you can easily tuck it in your suitcase or store it in your closet. Gift wrapping is available upon request—this item ships priority mail, free of charge.
SIZE: 80 cm x 228 cm (Approximately 32 in x 90 in)
Each piece is in the LENA-SRS collaboration is handwoven from ethically sourced, handspun, Changra pashmina from the Chang Tang Plateau. LENA creates its items in small batches with natural, locally sourced, botanical dyes. So whether you purchase one of these pashminas for yourself or as a gift for someone special, you'll be comforted to share your support for sustainable and dignified livelihood sources for Ladakhi women artisans.
ABOUT MARIGOLD: Marigolds are harvested in Ladakh's summer months and can be blended with a bit of lac to achieve bright golds.
ABOUT LAC:
Lac is a red dye extract from the scale insect Laccifer lacca. Found throughout India, Southeast Asia, Nepal, Burma, Bhutan, and South China. The female lac insects seek out host trees (mainly fig and acacia) to feast and secrete a resin that contains the red dye. The resin is harvested from the branches and extracted for its rich, red hue. Lac extract yields a range of reds from crimsons to burgundy reds to deep purples. The colors achieved are warmer, softer, and more muted.
Apricot Blush Pashmina Shawl
In recent years, there have been local efforts underway in Ladakh to reclaim ownership of the pashmina trade following centuries of outside dominance, particularly from Kashmir. Multiple ventures in the region are moving into the production of finished products since most of the value is locked higher up in the supply chain.
One such venture is the all-women Leh-based startup called Lena Ladakh Pashmina, which calls itself a “slow-textile label that crafts pashmina products in small batches, where each stage of textile production is carried by hand from spinning to dyeing to weaving.”
Established in 2016 by Sonam Angmo and Stanzin Minglak, the startup has two key objectives:
1) Making apparel in a distinctly Ladakhi manner from spinning with a willow spindle instead of a Charkha, plying with the same spindle, and hand-weaving to dyeing the yarns with locally-found herbs, while ensuring that revenue from the pashmina trade stays local.
2) A commitment towards putting into practice the dying traditional skill of making textiles by hand, while also providing a sustainable and dignified source of livelihood for women from these communities, who for generations have quietly kept these skills alive.
Silk Road Spaceship is delighted to collaborate with LENA and help them advance thier mission.
