Prepare to be overwhelmed.
You've never experienced anything like this Wild Indigo Diamond Shawl. Seriously.
This equisite shawl is offered as one of Silk Road Spaceship's latest collaborations with a Ladakh based pashmina company, LENA, an all women start up that is helping the region reclaim the world’s most luxurious textiles. Each shawl in this exclusive collection is handwoven from ethically sourced, handspun, Changra pashmina from the Chang Tang Plateau. LENA crafts each of its' items in small batches, with locally sourced natural botanical dyes. In all of our travels through the Himalayas, we've never seen their equal and are so proud to offer you the opportunity to experience this level of craftsmanship. Whether you purchase one for yourself or as a gift for someone special, you'll be comforted to know of the making of these pashminas creates sustainable and dignified sources of livelihood for Ladakhi women artisans. Get the full story on the LENA-SRS collaboration here.
ABOUT THE WEAVE: The Wild Indigo shawl unfolds like a blanket of blue diamonds—Everything about this shawl is extraordinary and rare, from the finest wool, to the natural dyes, all the way down to its woven, geometric pattern. Luxurious and thick, ours defies the often paper-thin pashmina ubiquitous in the United States (and often derived from inferior materials from less than ethical manufacturers).
Whether paired with denim or silk, we are obsessed with this shawl. The warmth, the soft embrace, the richly muted colors - it's the perfect solution to your pandemic wardrobe blues. Elevating your look while still honoring your quest for comfort.
Your pashmina will arrive in a hand-sewn fabric pouch, so you can easily tuck it in your suitcase or store it in your closet.
Gift wrapping available upon request. This item ships priority mail, free of charge.
SIZE: 50 cm x 200 cm (Approximately 20 in x 79 in)
ABOUT WILD INDIGO:
Since its discovery about 5000 years ago, Indigo has not failed to fascinate us with its mysterious way of changing shades continuously, as it ages and wears away. Just like us, at each stage of its life it will look different and surprise us with a new, unique shade of blue. This quality of Indigo and appreciation for handmade crafts has once again brought this mysterious color to the fore. Like the color of the sky and sea, natural Indigo is very much living around us.
Wild Indigo Diamond 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.
