Lucr / GI-certified pashmina

Provenance

GI-Certified Pashmina: What the Kashmir GI Tag Means

The words "genuine pashmina" are used freely and checked rarely. A Geographical Indication (GI) label is one of the few independent ways a buyer can tell a handmade Kashmir shawl from a lookalike.

What is a GI tag?

A Geographical Indication is a form of legal protection for a product whose qualities are tied to a place and to the way it is made. Champagne and Darjeeling tea are the familiar examples. Kashmir Pashmina holds a GI, which means the name is protected: it is meant to describe handmade cloth of real pashmina fibre, produced in Kashmir by traditional methods, and not simply any soft shawl sold under a fashionable word.

That matters because the market is crowded with blends, viscose and machine-made imitations that borrow the vocabulary. The GI exists to give the genuine article a recognisable standard.

What the Craft Development Institute does

In Srinagar, the Craft Development Institute carries out quality testing of pashmina products and issues the GI label for those that pass. In general terms, the process checks that the fibre is pashmina, that the cloth has been handspun and handwoven rather than made by machine, and that the piece has been produced within the region. Passing pieces are marked with a tamper-resistant label so that the result travels with the shawl.

We describe the process only in outline here, as testing methods and label design can be refined over time. If you want the current detail, the Institute is the authoritative source.

How to recognise a GI label

• Look for a physical label. A genuine GI mark is attached to the shawl itself, not merely mentioned in a product description.
• Read what it says. The label should identify the product as Kashmir pashmina and carry its own identifying details.
• Match the paperwork. The details on the label should agree with any certificate or invoice supplied with the piece.
• Ask questions. Who spun it? Where was it woven? A seller who handles genuine work can answer plainly.
• Be wary of vague claims. "Pashmina-style", "pashmina blend" and "100% wool" are not the same thing as GI-certified Kashmir pashmina.

What a GI does not do

A GI supports provenance and protects a craft's reputation. It does not tell you whether a shawl suits your colouring, how it will drape, or whether the design is to your taste. Treat it as a floor, not a ceiling: the starting point for a good purchase, not the whole of it. Our guide to how pashmina is sourced in Kashmir explains the wider chain behind the label.

Lucr and the GI label

Lucr's pieces are handmade in Kashmir and carry the GI label. We keep a small circle of ateliers so that we can say who made what, and we would rather offer fewer pieces we can account for than many we cannot. Browse the Lucr shop, read more in the Journal, or, if you are a designer or retailer, see our wholesale service.

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