What is the difference between a pashmina, a cashmere and a wool shawl?

Pashmina is a loosely used trade term rather than a defined fibre, cashmere is a specific fine fibre, and wool covers a much wider group of animal fibres.

Pashmina - traditionally a fine cashmere-style shawl, but in the market the word is applied to almost any soft large wrap, including wool blends and synthetic blends. If a supplier cannot state the fibre content, treat the term as marketing rather than specification.

Cashmere - a fine down fibre known for softness and warmth at low weight. We offer 100% cashmere, which is the softest, warmest, most delicate and most expensive option, and cashmere-wool blends.

Wool - a broader category covering merino and other wools, generally more resilient and lower cost than cashmere. Wool-blend winter scarves sit at roughly $1.5-$4 per piece, while cashmere and cashmere-blend shawls run roughly $6-$25.

For a shawl, the practical choice is usually 30% cashmere / 70% wool, which keeps much of the softness with far more resilience, or 5-10% cashmere as a gentle upgrade over pure wool.

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