Kashmir Shawls: The Obsession of 19th-Century French Fashion

Kashmir shawls, once part of the attire of Indian courtiers, traveled across continents and became one of the most popular and sought-after items in the French fashion world in the 19th century.

According to Ambassador Arjan, Kashmir shawls are woolen textiles that are produced by the weaving method and have a long history in the Indian subcontinent. In the past and still today, these shawls are used to wrap around the body or throw on the shoulders in the cold months of the year, and at the same time, they are considered stylish and fashionable accessories.

The cashmere shawl, which is made of very soft, warm and light wool, became one of the main components of the French fashion world after entering the European markets in the 19th century. These textiles can also be a tool to examine social hierarchy, the concept of femininity, and power relations in the colonial era.

Kashmir shawls have been produced in the Kashmir Valley for centuries; The region that today is located on the northern border of India and Pakistan. These shawls were an important part of Indian clothing. Due to their high price, the use of fine Kashmir shawls was mainly restricted to the royal families and the upper classes of the society.

Indian paintings from the 17th century often show the Kashmir shawl as part of the court dress. Akbar, the emperor of the Gurkan dynasty of India, was especially famous for using these shawls. The oldest written documents about these textiles date back to the 16th century and one of the historical and administrative texts of Akbar's reign.

Skilled weavers and designers have kept the art alive in the region despite the ups and downs of the Kashmir shawl trade after these products entered European markets in the late 18th century.

The word Kashmir refers to the yarn and wool used to produce these shawls. This yarn is obtained from the soft underbelly of mountain goats called "Changtangi" or Kashmir goats. These animals are native to the Kashmir valley, and this has made their wool a rare and special material. The rarity of this material, along with its softness and exceptional sensory characteristics, turned cashmere shawls into luxury and exclusive products.

Kashmir shawl was a manifestation of impressive skill in weaving and design. In traditional shawls, there was a characteristic pattern called "bete", which looked like a pine cone with a twisted head, and today it is known as the "paisley" pattern.

On the other hand, the extraordinary fineness of the yarn made the weaving process very difficult and time-consuming; So that in the 19th century, the production of a shawl sometimes took six months to a year. In some shawls, the patterns are embroidered on the fabric instead of being created in the weaving process. The production of these types of shawls takes less time and their cost is much lower.

The production of shawls required the cooperation of a large group of people with specific tasks. This group usually included the designer, the person responsible for determining and announcing the colors, the pattern master, and a number of weavers. Thus, Kashmir shawl production was rooted in collective and cooperative practices that were prevalent in Indian textile history.

Kashmir shawls; The obsession of the French fashion world

Cashmere shawls became very popular in France in the 19th century. In that century, about 80% of cashmere shawls imported to Europe went to France, and this country had become the largest consumer of these textiles. The buyers were fascinated by the oriental and non-native origin of these shawls and the variety of colors and patterns. However, most importantly, it was the softness and flexibility of the shawl that created a sensual and pleasurable experience and became a sign of luxury.

Soft and warm cashmere shawls gradually replaced the cloaks that French women traditionally wore as outerwear in the 19th century. These shawls had an advantage compared to alternative coverings: despite the good warmth, they were not bulky and could simultaneously play the role of a well-shaped and fitting covering and provide enough warmth and comfort for the person.

Kashmir shawls entered France during Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in Egypt between 1798 and 1801. Although these shawls were introduced to France in the late 18th century as part of English fashion, their popularity quickly increased after Josephine, Napoleon's wife, wore them.

In the portrait that François Gérard painted of Josephine in 1801, Shali is seen next to her. Also, in the painting by Antoine Jean Gero in 1808, she is wearing a dress made of cashmere shawl and its border is decorated with a paisley pattern.

After the empress started using these shawls, throwing a shawl became one of the must-haves for fashionable women in France. Fashion magazines regularly published a diverse collection of images and prints that featured the Kashmir shawl as part of a well-dressed woman's wardrobe.

During Napoleon's marriage ceremony with Marie-Louise, his second wife, in 1810, many aristocratic women threw their shawls over their arms.

In France, the cashmere shawl was not only a means of showing adherence to fashion, but also became a symbol of social status. This shawl, which was beautifully designed and while being expensive, did not have extreme and impressive luxury, finally became a symbol of the dignity of the bourgeois class in France between 1815 and 1870. Carrying a shawl was considered a sign of a person's position in the social hierarchy, and even the correct way to throw a Kashmir shawl was part of teaching etiquette to women. In many 19th century paintings depicting upper class women, they are seen with shawls wrapped around themselves.

Alfred Stevens, a Belgian painter, was especially famous for such works. His paintings titled "Meeting" and "After the Ball" show how the cashmere shawl was easily incorporated into French fashion.

Many of these paintings, which depict women wearing Kashmir shawls, were painted in the home; A subject that shows how much these textiles were connected with family life and the concept of femininity.

In fact, the Kashmir shawl became an ideal gift for married women or women who were about to get married. Grooms often gave shawls to their brides on their wedding day. This link between the shawl and femininity defined in the context of family life was carefully maintained in 19th century France; Because according to the social norms of that period, having a shawl was considered inappropriate for single women. The common idea was that a woman should receive a shawl as a gift from her husband.

European examples of Kashmir shawls; Imitation of oriental designs

While French consumers were enjoying this luxurious and oriental product, the cashmere shawl was causing losses to domestic textile producers. The charm of these shawls was not limited to their eastern origin and design features; Cashmere was also a practical material for the production of everyday clothing, and no other fabric on the market could combine these qualities. In addition, Kashmir shawls imported from the Indian subcontinent had become a symbol of wealth and social status.

However, domestic producers saw an opportunity to enter this market; A market that had expanded rapidly during that period. They decided to market imitation shawls made in France.

This task was difficult due to the exclusivity of Kashmir shawls and their association with the luxury and culture of the East. For example, French manufacturers could hardly compete with cashmere shawls; Because the thread used by them, in terms of softness and sensory characteristics, did not have the quality of wool used in Kashmir shawls.

To solve this problem, some companies even tried to import Kashmir goats from this region to France in order to obtain the genuine wool "Pashm" from them. But this attempt failed because the animals could not survive in different weather conditions.

As a result, French manufacturers had to go to other materials or even open old shawls imported from India and use their thread to weave new shawls.

However, until 1816, the import of wool from Iran became possible for French textile manufacturers. In this way, they were able to produce Kashmir shawls inside France; Shawls that were close to Kashmiri textiles in terms of softness and sensory characteristics.

Although French companies did not have access to the original raw materials for the production of shawls, they still had an advantage in the market. Shawls imported from Kashmir were produced with designs indigenous to the region, usually limited to a narrow border. On the other hand, French manufacturers exaggerated these original designs to match European tastes; A taste that likes wide borders that cover the entire surface of the shawl and are decorated with large buta or betejagah motifs.

Just as Empress Josephine popularized this fashion by using authentic Kashmir shawls, Empress Marie Louise also started a new fashion trend by promoting shawls produced in France. In 1812, he received twelve shawls that Guillaume Terneau had produced using pashmina wool and using the tabular twill weave method; The same method used in weaving Kashmir shawls. However, the success of genuine Kashmir shawls did not decline significantly, although Kashmiri artisans had to adapt their designs to European tastes and keep up with the growth of the French market.

After the invention of the Jacquard loom by Joseph Marie Jacquard, which automated the weaving process, mass production of textiles became possible in Europe. French shawls woven with the help of this machine appeared in the markets since 1818. The increasing popularity of this mechanism revolutionized shawl production in both France and Britain. By the middle of the 19th century, a town in Scotland called Paisley had managed to gain a prominent position in the shawl market.

Organized factories and the use of machine production methods allowed this Scottish town to transform the heritage of Indian Kashmir shawls so much that the famous Botha pattern became known as the "paisley pattern" from the 19th century onwards.

Eventually, imitation shawls found their way into homes across France. The designs of these shawls have taken completely new forms and have retained only traces of traditional Kashmir motifs. An example of these shawls produced between 1855 and 1865, probably in Paris or Paisley, shows this change well. The design of this work is significantly different from the shawls that were produced in Kashmir at the beginning of the same century; However, upon closer inspection, a stylized version of the paisley motif can be discerned along its margins.

On the other hand, mass-produced shawls had a much lower price, and as a result, more people could afford them. Naturally, as the price went down, the quality of raw materials and design also varied, but these textiles were still popular and valued.

The fate of Kashmir shawls in French fashion after 1870

After the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the demand for Kashmir shawls in France decreased. This coincided with the decline in fashion for these shawls, although many women continued to add them to their wardrobe. Some kept the shawls in the box, without using them; Others found ways to repurpose these garments and used them to sew coats, make wall hangings, and even cover pianos.

The decrease in demand, along with the exploitative policies implemented by the British East India Company in the field of shawl production in Kashmir, had detrimental consequences for the weavers. Many of them left Kashmir and settled in Punjab; Where they no longer had access to the raw materials needed to produce shawls. A large number of weavers also died in the famine of 1877.

Kashmir's shawl weaving industry, which once flourished with the patronage of royal courts and customers from all over the world, gradually shrunk under political and economic pressures and lost its past prosperity.

However, Kashmir shawls still maintain their position as luxury and fashionable accessories. This shawl, which was once used by both men and women in Asia, became a symbol of femininity and social status of the bourgeois class in France in the 19th century. This textile passed through different regions of the world over the centuries and found a different meaning and concept in each cultural context. With the passage of time, the history of using the shawl as one of the components of men's clothing was gradually forgotten; So that nowadays mainly women use it.

Even today, shawls made of pure cashmere or pashmina are still considered special and exclusive goods, and the price of some of them reaches 4 thousand dollars. These prices not only reflect the quality of the wool, but also reflect the skill of the craftsmen and the long hours spent to produce the shawl. Although the purchase of expensive shawls is not possible for many people, cheaper examples are also produced for a few hundred dollars to meet the needs of other markets.

Despite the significant influence of the European taste on the design of shawls, traditional motifs and patterns are still preserved in the shawls produced in India and its neighboring regions. However, colonial interventions have affected the infrastructure of this industry and have contributed to the formation of today's perception of the history of Kashmir shawls. The most obvious manifestation of this influence can be seen in the name that is used for this shawl today: cashmere; A word that is the anglicized form of the name Kashmiri (Kashmiri) and is used in the meaning of "belonging to Kashmir".