What is GI certified Pashmina?

About G.I :

G.I (Geographical Indication) is a mark on any product or good certifying its origin from a particular geographic area and certifying its legal association with that area.

The governing body for providing G.I marks is the World Trade Organisation (WTO) . In addition to this, WTO is responsible for providing these marks to genuinely deserving areas and eliminating conflicts. In some goods, the G.I mark is shared by two areas as well and these areas may be within the same country or a different one. A G.I indication saves the products from getting replicated and from the production of counterfeited products by third parties.

G.I certified Pashmina:

Kashmir Pashmina or cashmere has also been provided G.I Indication. The original and pure pashmina can be tagged by the artisans at Craft Development Department at Srinagar Kashmir. This tagging is done by pasting a rubber base stamp that has a unique ID on it. No two shawls have similar IDs. Moreover, these tags have serrated boundaries, can not be tampered and if one tries to lift the tag from the shawl, it gets damaged completely.

Pashmina shawls have been certified within G.I for the unique process of old age manufacturing by the local artisans of Kashmir valley. G.I certification of pashmina shawls has almost vanished the claims of genuineness by third parties.

How is a pashmina shawl labeled with a G.I tag?

The local artisans of Kashmir valley get themselves registered under a society of artisans known as ‘Tahafuz’. Each registered artisan carries his shawls to the  Pashmina Testing & Quality Certification Centre (PTQCC), Craft Development Institute (CDI), which is a centrally funded testing laboratory by the Government of India. At this lab, the shawls get tested for quality and then labeled with a unique G.I tag. The code of the tag is synchronized with the details of the artisan.

Certifying criteria for a Pashmina shawl:

The criteria for getting a Kashmiri pashmina or cashmere certified with a G.I tag is as :

• The shawl should be made from 100% pure Pashm (yarn obtained from ‘Capra Hiracus’ goat)

• The fineness of the fibers should be up to 16 Microns.

• The shawl should be handwoven by local artisans of Kashmir

• The yarn should be only spun by hand.

Importance of a G.I label :

• Authenticate genuine Pashmina shawls only to save customers from buying fake, replicas or counterfeit shawls.

• Help local artisans(men and women) to secure their economic benefits.

• Improve the value of a Pashmina shawl.

Authenticating a pashmina shawl:

To verify a pashmina shawl, one needs to verify the code on the G.I tag on the Product

Have a look at our collection of pure Kashmiri pashmina Shawls and abaya